How the New York Knicks’ thrilling trade for Mikal Bridges impacts the Philadelphia 76ers

Last night, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets agreed to a blockbuster trade that sent Mikal Bridges to New York in exchange for Bojan Bogdan and a handsome amount of draft capital.

Talk about a pretty significant shake-up in the Eastern Conference, right? The Bridges trade also means that OG Anunoby’s fate in New York is now hanging in the balance, while the Nets are clearly shifting gears toward a rebuild.

So, the obvious question here is how does the trade affect the Philadelphia 76ers.

BREAKING: The Brooklyn Nets have agreed in principle on a trade to send F Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for Bojan Bogdanovic, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick via Bucks, an unprotected pick swap and a second-rounder, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/TEGsIpoa3b

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2024

Can the 76ers land OG Anunoby?

One of the main NBA offseason stories is Knicks forward OG Anunoby’s pursuit of a maximum contract. Anunoby turned down his $19.9 million player option on Monday in hopes of securing such a deal. According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, Anunoby could potentially land a max contract worth up to $245.3 million over five years.

Despite adding Mikal Bridges, New York’s main focus is to re-sign Anunoby, as reported by Ian Begley of SNY.tv. The Knicks have the option to exceed the salary cap and provide him with a maximum contract using his bird rights.

The Athletic questioned a variety of front-office people around the league about Anunoby’s contractual value. The executives offered a series of different answers ranging from $30 million to $40 million yearly.

Considering The Athletic’s input, it’s safe to say that there will be an intense bidding war for Anunoby that could very well involve the 76ers.

Brian Windhorst on the 76ers and OG:

“If OG Anunoby gets to unrestricted free agency on Sunday without a deal for the Knicks, I don’t see a reason why the Sixers don’t come in hard after him with something close to that max offer.”

Windhorst also reported that Paul George wants to stay on the West Coast and the Golden State Warriors are interested in acquiring him. Jimmy Butler plans to stay with the Miami Heat, so the 76ers may focus on Anunoby.

The 76ers have the means to sign Anunoby to whatever deal he pleases with about $55 million in cap space. It’s simply the question of if Anunoby is worth as much as $40 million annually.

“If [the Knicks pay OG Anunoby] well beyond $35 million, it’s going to be because of Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, or another team with cap space coming in with a significant offer that forces the Knicks to exceed that. I think that’s around where you’d expect it, but if there’s a… https://t.co/gusYFzJ29T

— Philly Sixers Galaxy (@sixers_galaxy) June 17, 2024

Anunoby’s offensive game is limited to spot-up shooting and occasional off-the-catch drives. He averaged 14.7 points per game with a 38.2% three-point shooting percentage on 5.3 attempts per game, and a 59.5% true shooting percentage, which is 1.5% above the NBA average.

Anunoby’s exceptional defensive skills will be key to earning his payday. As a Knicks forward, he has proven to be a versatile defender, capable of guarding every position. His defensive prowess shines through as a savvy help defender and adept pick-and-roll defender.

Anunoby is a versatile “3&D” forward with strong skills on both ends of the court. His value in the postseason can fluctuate due to this. The 76ers needed better perimeter shooting and someone to defend Jalen Brunson, which Anunoby can provide, and he’s only 26 years old.

As mentioned, Anunoby’s limited scoring abilities make it challenging to justify giving him a maximum contract. Additionally, the 76ers can only offer a four-year contract, while New York can offer five years with his bird rights, so Philadelphia may need to offer 40+ million per year to convince Anunoby to choose them over the Knicks.

Should the 76ers be interested in Nets’ fire sale?

On the flip side of the Mikal Bridges trade, it seems that the Brooklyn Nets have reconsidered and are prepared to rebuild. According to Mike A. Scotto of Hoops Hype, Brooklyn may engage in a “fire sale” and offer their experienced core players for trade.

“Across the bridge, the Brooklyn Nets have chosen to pivot towards a rebuild, and other Nets veterans, including Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic, Dennis Schroder, Ben Simmons, and backup center Day’Ron Sharpe, are all potential trade candidates to monitor, league sources told HoopsHype.”

Since the Nets traded for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during the 2022-2023 season, Bridges, Johnson, and Finney-Smith appeared to be ideal trade targets for the 76ers. However, Brooklyn remained focused on competing and was unwilling to part ways with these three players.

With Bridges going cross-town, Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson are intriguing players the 76ers should consider acquiring. Both are quality starting-caliber “3&D” forwards with notable postseason experience who would fit well next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

If the Sixers are set on trading their 16th overall pick, this is a direction they could go: https://t.co/wAtU6FfT1M pic.twitter.com/pK9VHuXaI8

— Jacob Moreno (@jmoreno76ers) June 26, 2024

Johnson is a better all-around player than Finney-Smith, but he’s in the second year of a four-year/$94.5 million contract, earning $23.6 million annually. Meanwhile, Finney-Smith is entering the last year of a four-year/$55.6 million deal, with a salary of just $14.9 million next season.

The 76ers want to keep their options open for signing a star player while building a winning team. Finney-Smith is a better fit for this goal than Johnson due to their salary difference. If Philadelphia decides to trade their 16th overall pick, they should consider Finney-Smith.

The first round of the NBA draft commences tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST and what the 76ers chose to do with that 16th pick will help form an idea of the direction they’re attempting to go heading into free agency on Sunday.

Mandatory Credit: (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)