Josh Hart Breaks Silence After Team USA Star Accuses Him & Jalen Brunson Of Tampering With Mikal Bridges Trade

“It’s like that SpongeBob meme when Squidward is looking out the window and he sees SpongeBob and Patrick having fun.” Earlier this season, Josh Hart used this unusual analogy to shine a light on Mikal Bridges’ situation in Brooklyn while his Villanova buddies were having the time of their lives playing together for the Knicks. But now, Mikal can finally join in the fun as he has reportedly been traded to the Knicks in a blockbuster move. However, smelling something fishy, Bam Adebayo accused Hart and Brunson of ‘tampering’ with the trade, even garnering a quick response from the Knicks duo.

As per the latest report, Bridges will move to the other side of town in exchange for Bojan Bogdanovic and a plethora of future draft picks. Soon after the news broke out, Adebayo called out Brunson and Hart, typing, “@jalenbrunson1 @joshhart y’all was tampering!” on X.

Even during the playoffs after the Knicks got eliminated, Hart made an appearance as an analyst on ESPN, which led to a friendly banter between him and Bridges where Hart joked about rescuing him from Brooklyn, “If they have you hostage just blink and we’ll save you.” And with the trade finally going through, Adebayo might be right in thinking all of this played a part in facilitating the deal.

However, not wanting any part of this controversy, Hart silenced the Miami Heat superstar with a quick response, “Let us celebrate in peace!” followed by a laughing emoji. Meanwhile, Brunson also asked Bam to “Chilllll”.

Finally, getting a chance to play with the people he won two National titles with at Villanova back in 2016 and 2018, is a huge moment for Bridges. He would not want it to be tarnished by tampering allegations. “This is crazy lol,” he wrote, reacting to the trade news.

Villanova Boys are ready to have some fun together

With the news of Mikal Bridges’ trade breaking out, it didn’t take much time for the four Villanova boys to catch up and celebrate this amazing moment. In a tweet by Josh Hart, he shared a screenshot of a late-night Facetime call with his friends Brunson, DiVincenzo, and Bridges, with all of them having huge smiles on their faces.

Not only is the Bridges trade a joyous moment for the four friends, but it could also be a great move for the Knicks heading into next season. Although Mikal’s talent was not on full display during his time in Brooklyn, he has shown his superstar potential when he was a key player in the Suns squad. Averaging over 11 points along with 4.3 rebounds during the 2021 playoffs, Bridges was a major reason the Suns were able to reach the Finals that season. Moreover, he continued his impressive form the following year by increasing his playoff averages further.

Even this season, while the Nets struggled to find success, Mikal Bridges had a decent individual season averaging nearly 20 points and 4.5 rebounds. What’s more impressive is that he has never missed a game in his six-year career, truly earning the Iron Man tag.

That could be crucial for the Knicks as we know how much the injury bug cost them this year with stars like Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson missing a major chunk of the season. More importantly, playing with his old college teammates, Mikal Bridges is likely to perform even better as they already have great chemistry, and would love to contribute to the winning culture that the Knicks have built.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.