A 150 million gamble: The Knicks use Bridges to bet on the future of the championship!

The New York Knicks successfully reached a contract renewal agreement with Mikal Bridges. In short, the Knicks will pay an average of $37.5 million per year over the next four years, with the final year of the contract including player options. The renewal also made the Knicks' lineup almost certain in the foreseeable future, preparing for the championship battle in the next few years.

For the Knicks, reaching a contract renewal with Bridges has always been the team's top priority.

In short, because the Knicks gave almost all first-round draft picks last summer to introduce Bridges, if Bridges eventually left the team for nothing, it would not only be a huge loss, but also because of the restrictions of the collective bargaining agreement, the Knicks would not be able to use this salary space on other players.

But from an unoptimistic perspective, renewing the contract with Bridges and retaining this core team that lost to the Pacers for two consecutive years in the playoffs can really help the Knicks win the championship smoothly in the future window? The answer to this question seems to be different from what you imagined.

2024-25 season is the first year for this lineup to win the championship. Bridges first came to New York, and Towns only joined the team before training camp. Both of them need some time to adapt to finding their new position in their new boss, and there is no enough tacit understanding between them.

But next year, the situation for the team will be completely different. Under this core framework, the Knicks have a very successful team and a sufficiently successful season foundation. They won 51 games and eliminated defending champion Celtics in the second round of the playoffs.

Although he was finally eliminated by the Pacers, the Pacers are by no means a weak team. Especially considering the shortcomings of former head coach Thibodeau in lineup adjustment, substitutes rarely use under strict rotation with high loads. With the premise of having shortcomings, it is naturally quite difficult for the Knicks to face such an opponent.

And Thibodeau has left New York in the new season. The new head coach Mike Brown has brought more changes in offensive system and a more reliant on the depth of bench rotation. These advantages are already obvious when he coached the Kings.

In addition to this, the key limit of this lineup is that Bridges has more potential to explore. Although the entire team can benefit from tacit understanding, Bridges still has room for growth. The seven-year veteran once played the No. 1 scorer for the Nets, but after coming to the Knicks, he became the fourth choice after Brunson, Towns and Anunobi. Although Bridges' role positioning in the new season may still be the fourth choice, his multi-faceted potential is worthy of being better used, which is also the Knicks' biggest opportunity in the new season.

In the 12 games Brunson missed last season, Bridges averaged 22.2 points and 5.3 assists per game, with shooting percentages in three events of 55% + 37% + 92%, which well demonstrated the comprehensiveness of the organization's offensive and defensive end.

Under the guidance of Mike Brown, the Knicks had the opportunity to re-activate Bridges's other mode, allowing him to occasionally play a point guard and McBride on the bench in addition to the starting shooting guard, or to play a small forward in the small ball shooter lineup, partnering with Brunson, Anunoby, Towns and another point guard, and even specially designed tactics for him, which was something Thibodeau almost never did before.

In addition, the time point for this contract renewal is also quite considerable. According to the league regulations, players cannot be traded within six months after signing the contract renewal. If Bridges signs on July 31, this means that he will be qualified for trading on the eve of the trading deadline; in the worst case, if the Knicks need to adjust their lineup, or even encounter a star player from Milwaukee who submits a deal application, the Knicks have a chance to take action.

Of course, the core purpose of this contract is not a transaction, but to help the Knicks chase the first championship trophy in more than 50 years of team history. Especially considering the depth of the existing lineup and the issues that other top teams in the East are about to face in the new season, this will be the best chance for the Knicks to win the championship in many years in the 2025-26 season and even the longer term.