Knicks Pay Cut Still Favors Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges is staying with the New York Knicks on a four-year, $150 million contract extension.

New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges dribbles the ball defended by Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are ecstatic to have Mikal Bridges under contract for four more years at $150 million.

The deal was agreed upon late last month and gives the Knicks one of their starters for the foreseeable future.

CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn praised the move for Bridges, who has a player option on the final year of his deal.

"That player option may be enormously valuable for Bridges. If he's still an effective player in 2029, going into his age-33 season, he'll be able to seek one last, big payday a year early without fear of declining by 2030," Quinn wrote. "It's impossible to know know what the market will look like four summers from now, but given the league's desperate need for wings and the rising cap environment that currently exists, so long as Bridges remains healthy (he's literally never missed an NBA game), he should be able to cash in when that time arrives."

"The Knicks and Bridges each made real sacrifices to get this deal done. Given the season they had together, that decision makes sense from both sides."

The player option may have been a thank-you from the Knicks for sacrificing a couple million dollars, but it remains to be seen how the team will respond in the coming years of Bridges' deal.

The Knicks view Bridges as one of the key pieces towards reaching the finish line and hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy, so getting him on a new deal before he hit free agency was crucial for New York.

If Bridges can find a way to win a championship for the Knicks while he is on the roster, it will increase his chances of reaching another major deal in 2030 when he turns 33 years old.

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