New York Knicks star guard/forward Mikal Bridges will have his first opportunity to elongate his tenure in the Big Apple just a few weeks before the 2024-25 NBA season commences.
Bridges was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Knicks earlier this summer in exchange for a robust package including five future first-round picks and Bojan Bogdanovic. The Villanova product was taken on with one year remaining on the four-year, $90.9 million deal he signed with the Phoenix Suns back in 2021, per Basketball GM.
Mikal Bridges will have first chance to sign Knicks extension on Oct. 1
As he prepares to enter next season with championship expectations and the opportunity to boost his profile as a marquee scorer on a championship contender, he’ll also have a major decision to mutually agree upon with the franchise just five days before preseason starts, as Real GM Basketball accentuated:
“Mikal Bridges will become eligible for a contract extension worth $72.5 million over two seasons with the New York Knicks on October 1st. Bridges can alternatively sign a three-year, $112.9 million deal next offseason,” the publication shared.
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How Bridges’ contract situation looks with the Knicks from here on out
Such a contract extension would see him earn $36.75 million annually. If he were to forbear on ensuring his long-term security with the team at the top of next month, he would earn just over $37.6 million per year on the three-year deal outlined for next offseason.
The upside to holding off would be that the 27-year-old would stay on board for an extra year with about a million more dollars in his back pocket each year. On the flip side, the Knicks have a crowded starting lineup filled with players who will want to score in volume, including 2024 MVP candidate Jalen Brunson and his 28.7 points per game from 2023-24, All-Star Julius Randle (24 PPG), and OG Anunoby (14.7 PPG).
Bridges is the NBA’s Iron Man and one of the most elite perimeter defenders the game has to offer. Neither figures to be jeopardized in his new role, and he could even contend for and win the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year. How prominent of a scorer he remains will be the biggest question mark, due to the aforementioned Knicks stars needing their touches, even with whatever sacrifices they’ll make next time out. Bridges’ overall game will dictate much about his financial future, and he’ll have a short space of time to decide before needing to show what he’s got in New York.
