NEW YORK — Forward Mikal Bridges and the New York Knicks have agreed on a four-year, $150 million contract extension, agents Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of Excel Sports Management told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday.
The agreement, which contains a player option for the 2029-30 season and a trade kicker, prevents the 28-year-old from being moved for six months once the deal is signed. Bridges accepted slightly less than his $156 million maximum to give the club additional salary-cap flexibility.
Securing core pieces
Bridges’ previous contract was set to expire after 2025-26. By locking him in now, New York resolves its top offseason priority and preserves the cap room created by Jalen Brunson’s 2024 extension. The Knicks can remain under both tax aprons, keeping space to add players around Bridges, Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the remainder of last season’s roster that reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
First year in New York
Acquired last summer from the Brooklyn Nets for five first-round picks, Bridges endured an uneven debut season at Madison Square Garden. Assigned to guard primary ball handlers—a departure from his usual wing assignments—the former Defensive Player of the Year runner-up saw his free-throw rate fall while adjusting from a top scoring option in Brooklyn to the Knicks’ fourth choice on many nights.
In March, Bridges drew attention when he told reporters he had asked then-coach Tom Thibodeau to reduce the heavy minutes logged by the starters, saying the workload was “sometimes … not fun on the body.”
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Durability and timely contributions
Despite early struggles, Bridges played every game for the fourth straight season, finishing second in the league in corner three-pointers made and third in mid-range field-goal percentage (minimum 150 attempts), trailing only Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. He delivered double-digit fourth quarters twice in the playoff series against Boston and produced critical defensive stops on the final possessions of Games 1 and 2, both 20-point comeback wins.
Bridges turns 29 in August and will be under contract through at least the 2028-29 campaign if he exercises his option.
Source: ESPN
