The target has been placed on the Boston Celtics' backs, and the New York Knicks are already taking aim.
The Knicks are sending veteran Bojan Bogdanovic and a war chest of draft picks -- four unprotected first-rounders, a protected first-rounder via the Milwaukee Bucks, an unprotected pick swap and a second-rounder -- to the Brooklyn Nets in return for star wing Mikal Bridges, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday night.
The deal reunites Bridges with three of his former college teammates; Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo spent two full seasons together at Villanova and won an NCAA championship in 2016. But beyond getting the Wildcat band back together, New York's trade for Bridges appears to be a direct challenge to the defending champion Celtics.
Wojnarowski spelled it out in plain terms Tuesday night while noting the Knicks are "determined" to re-sign two-way wing OG Anunoby in free agency, even if that means losing big man Isaiah Hartenstein.
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"The Knicks are loading up on wings to match up with the NBA champion Boston Celtics," Wojnarowski wrote.
Anunoby reportedly is signing a five-year, $212.5 million deal with New York to keep Madison Square Garden his home.
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So, how exactly do the Knicks match up with Boston after adding Bridges? If New York re-signs Anunoby and Hartenstein walks, head coach Tom Thibodeau could roll out a starting five of Brunson, DiVincenzo, Bridges, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, with Hart and Miles McBride as key reserves.
That's a formidable top seven featuring a trio of strong wing defenders -- Anunoby, Bridges and Hart -- to throw at Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. As our John Tomase and Chris Forsberg point out, Bridges has had some success against Tatum and Brown as a defender while forcing the C's stars to exploit other matchups.
That's the encouraging news for New York. Less encouraging is that Boston is just as deep defensively, with a notable advantage in offensive firepower.
The Celtics' top six of Tatum, Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford are all elite-to-above average defenders, with the 38-year-old Horford the only relative weak link. Boston held New York to 104 points or fewer in four of their five matchups last season en route to a 4-1 head-to-head record, letting Brunson get his (27.4 points per game against the Celtics) but locking up the Knicks' supporting cast. Even with Bridges in the mix, the C's have enough defensive talent to continue that trend in 2024-25.
Despite adding Bridges, the Knicks still can't say the same about their defensive talent.
Boston had eight players make more than 100 3-pointers last season -- the top six, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard -- compared to just three players with 100-plus 3s on the Knicks. All eight of those players are expected to return in 2024-25 for head coach Joe Mazzulla's club, which led the NBA in both 3-pointers made (14.5 per game) and attempted (40.2 per game) by a wide margin this past season.
A Celtics-Knicks playoff series in 2025 would be highly entertaining, and New York might be Boston's biggest threat in the Eastern Conference after acquiring Bridges. But barring significant injuries, the Celtics are still the team to beat thanks to their unmatched combination of defense and 3-point shooting.
