The Brooklyn Nets acquired Mikal Bridges as the key piece in the Kevin Durant trade in February, and he showed flashes of stardom after making the move. That made it a bit surprising to see his name pop up in trade rumors again in recent days.
Bridges has been linked to the Portland Trail Blazers, who are believed to be shopping the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft in a bid to acquire an elite player to complement Damian Lillard. Alex Schiffer of The Athletic, however, made it clear that the Nets would have no interest in such a deal.
John and I heard the same thing in Chicago. Those Mikal Bridges/Blazers trade rumors are all talk. Nets aren't interested. https://t.co/6wuXgi8POe
— Alex Schiffer (@Alex__Schiffer) May 20, 2023
The rumor never made a lot of sense from Brooklyn’s perspective. Bridges averaged 26.1 points per game after being dealt to the Nets, and that, combined with his excellent defense, would make him an elite wing option. That is probably worth more than anything Brooklyn could get with the No. 3 pick.
The Blazers appear determined to try and use their No. 3 pick to find a player of Bridges’ caliber. It sounds like they might have a very hard time finding a taker, however.
