Mikal Bridges, a forward for the New York Knicks, has signed a four-year contract extension worth $150 million with the team, as reported by his agents Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler from Excel Sports Management to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday.
This agreement includes a player option for the 2029-30 season and a trade kicker. Bridges cannot be traded for six months after signing this extension.
Bridges is accepting a small reduction from his maximum contract number of $156 million to help the Knicks keep options open for improving their roster. Last season, he played a key role alongside Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and others in leading the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals in 25 years.
Now that Bridges’ contract situation is settled—his previous deal was set to end after the 2025-26 season—the biggest question for New York’s offseason is answered. The extensions for both Brunson in 2024 and now Bridges have given the Knicks more flexibility with their salary cap, allowing them to bring in additional players.
Bridges had a mixed first season with New York after being traded to the team for five first-round draft picks last summer. This led some to think that the Knicks might consider trading him instead of negotiating a big-money extension.
Bridges, who will turn 29 in August, faced challenges at the start of the season as the Knicks assigned him to guard playmakers and ball handlers. This was a new role for him since he had previously been a runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. His free throw attempts dropped significantly compared to the previous season because he had to adjust from being one of the top scoring options with the struggling Brooklyn Nets to often being the fourth choice on the Knicks. In March, he raised some eyebrows within the usually reserved organization when he told reporters that he asked then-coach Tom Thibodeau to ease up on the starters’ heavy minutes, saying, “sometimes it’s not fun on the body.”
Despite these challenges, Bridges still performed well in several areas. He played in every game and finished second in the NBA for corner three-pointers made and third overall in field goal percentage from midrange (with at least 150 attempts), trailing only Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Bridges stepped up during crucial moments in the postseason. He recorded two double-digit scoring quarters in the series against the Celtics and made important defensive plays at the end of Games 1 and 2, where the Knicks pulled off back-to-back comebacks from 20 points down to win.
