'Call Me!' Josh Hart Recruits Mikal Bridges After Knicks Fans' Brooklyn Invasion
Don't tell Josh Hart it's not worth fighting for.
The New York Knicks' depth star once again put his general manager cap on after he and the Manhattanites finished off a 108-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Tuesday night. With the win, New York (27-17) has won four in a row against their cross-borough rivals, who endured their latest defeat in front of a crowd most skewed in the Knicks' favor.
Brad Penner, USA TODAY SPORTS
Playing a road game at home took a toll on Nets star Mikal Bridges, whose game-best 36 points and career-high seven three-pointers went to waste in Brooklyn's latest loss, its 11th over the past 13.
“I feel like any person in here, it's not fun when you feel like you're at an away game at home,” Bridges said, per Ryan Chichester of WFAN. “That's for probably any person sitting here, any person alive.”
Taking pity on his fellow former Villanova Wildcat, Hart went back on the recruiting trail, quoting a video of Bridges' comments with a helping hand offered over X.
"Yo bro, @mikal_bridges call me," Hart declared.
Seeing Hart offer a lifeline to Manhattan to social media is nothing new: Hart was one of the first to conjure the idea of another Villanova champion, Donte DiVincenzo, donning blue and orange, first suggesting it during an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks.
Shortly after DiVincenzo's arrival was confirmed, Hart immediately turned his sights to Bridges, who's currently in the midst of his first full season in Brooklyn. Bridges was part of the Villanova group that prevailed in the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship Game along with current Knicks DiVincenzo, Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono, and Jalen Brunson.
Despite Hart's good intentions, trading for Bridges is likely a pipe dream: putting aside the fact that the Knicks and Nets haven't made a trade since 1983 (the last of four deals between the two rivals), Brooklyn has envisioned Bridges as its cornerstone after their latest rebuild bid farewell to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Bridges is due over $48 million over the next two seasons before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
The Knicks are expected to be active on the transactional front with the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaching. No matter how far the Nets (17-26) fall, the idea of the Knicks ... or any other team, for that matter ... trading for Bridges appears to be literal fantasy basketball at this point.
New York has two more dates with the Nets this season, both at Madison Square Garden. In the meantime, Hart and Co. host the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
