Knicks hesitant to extend Mikal Bridges amid Giannis Antetokounmpo uncertainty

New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges is now eligible for a large contract extension, however the Knicks might have other plans in mind.

Bridges is eligible for a four-year, $156 million extension with the Knicks this offseason. However, as SNY’s Ian Begley reports on ‘The Putback with Ian Begley,’ the Knicks have their eyes on a different target: Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“One of the reasons [Bridges] hasn't been extended yet is because once you extend him, he cannot be traded for six months. Until the Giannis thing is fully settled and I don't think it's fully settled yet,” Begley said. “I think that's why you haven't seen Bridges extended yet. When he does extend, it would tell you Giannis is put to bed, is off the table in a sense. That's one factor at play here. In terms of the timing, the extension, once it happens, IF it happens, should tell you something about what's going on in Milwaukee.”

While neither Antetokounmpo nor the Bucks have indicated that a divorce is imminent, the Knicks have been one of the teams most heavily linked to him should he become available. 

Should the Knicks elect to not extend Bridges, he will become an unrestricted free agent after next season. The Knicks gave up a lot to get Bridges in the first place, sending the Brooklyn Nets a whopping five first-round picks along with several players in exchange for the two-way wing. 

It was an up-and-down season for Bridges in his first with the Knicks. He averaged 17.6, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists, yet struggled finding consistency on both sides of the floor. 

His signature moment — or moments — perhaps came in the Knicks’ second round playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics, when Bridges made game-winning defensive plays in both Games 1 and 2 to give the Knicks a commanding 2-0 series lead. The Knicks would go on to defeat the Celtics in six games to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.