As part of the changes made during the ongoing NBA off-season, shooting guard Mikal Bridges was recently reported to be traded to the New York Knicks. The rumors about the trade have been rampant since April and were further fueled after he was seen getting crowded by Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and other stars. With two years remaining in the player’s previous contract with the Brooklyn Nets, the Knicks will reportedly pay off the $48.2 million. Despite the franchise going to such lengths, Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green recently emphasized that signing Bridges wouldn’t be enough for the Knicks.

A few hours ago, the 34-year-old released another episode of his long-running show on YouTube. He stated that only “four to five teams” look towards winning the championship. Despite that, each franchise goes through at least a few significant changes during the off-season to improve its roster.

Even with these changes, Green does not believe the New York Knicks will reach the NBA Finals in the next three years. He admitted that the team would “play harder” than ever next season, especially in defense, and might even manage to secure the #1 or the #2 seed on the points chart. But, they have a good chance of faltering in the playoffs.

“I think when it comes to winning the championship, you have to have guys who can get a bucket by any means necessary,” said the Warriors power forward. “I don’t care who your defensive adjustment is, who you go to, that guy gotta be able to get a bucket on him in order to carry a team to a championship……I’m sorry, Knicks fans,” Green added.

During the recent regular season with the Brooklyn Nets, Bridges secured an average score of 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 82 games. However, according to Forbes, his poor true shooting efficiency could only allow him to rank in the 41st percentile in the NBA. This was because while his field goal and free throw percentage ranked at 43.6% and 81.4% respectively, his three-pointer percentage was 37.2%.

Despite all this, what Bridges offers in terms of off-ball scoring, length, spacing, and perimeter defense makes him a valuable commodity.

The Mikal Bridges reunion leaves the ‘Villanova Knicks’ ecstatic

The news about Mikal Bridges heading to New York excited many fans. However, none was as ecstatic as the ‘Villanova Knicks’ aka Josh Hart, Jalen Brunson, and Donte DiVincenzo. The three Knicks players, along with Bridges, were members of the Villanova Wildcats Men’s Basketball team at one stage. All of them played a crucial role in securing the championship title for their college in 2016. Now, the old group is finally back together.

A few hours after the official announcement, Josh Hart took to his official X account to highlight how the Villanova Boys reconnected on FaceTime for a group chat. He also reposted the breaking news by renowned NBA reporter Shams Charania and excitedly exclaimed, “YO WE F*****G LIT”.

Jalen Brunson could only muster up an “Omg” upon hearing the announcement, while Donte DiVincenzo might have said all he wanted to on their group call.

Josh Hart had been on his college teammate’s case to reunite for quite some time now. In March, he described Bridges as Squidward from the SpongeBob meme where “Squidward is looking out the window, and he sees SpongeBob and Patrick having fun”. Fortunately, Bridges will no longer be on the sidelines. Now, whether his presence helps the Knicks finally bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time since 1973 remains to be seen.

Before leaving, check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.