When the Brooklyn Nets made their first deal with the local rival New York Knicks in four decades, they traded away their best all-around player in Mikal Bridges. Bridges was the key piece the Nets acquired when they sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix in 2023,

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nets GM Sean Marks Says Mikal Bridges Didn't Request Trade to Knicks.

However, on the "No Dunks" podcast, The Athletic's Knicks reporter Fred Katz perfectly summarized why Bridges is a perfect fit for New York and why the price they paid is understandable.

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks made it clear that Mikal Bridges didn't request a trade from the team before he was dealt to the New York Knicks.

Mikal Bridges posted a goodbye message on Sunday to the Brooklyn Nets via Instagram following his trade to the New York Knicks.

Mikal Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks, but despite rumors that he requested the deal, he ultimately did not.

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks saw an opportunity to build a war chest of draft capital and took it. By trading star wing Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks — a deal that was finalized on Sunday — the Nets went from a bare cupboard of draft picks to a surplus,