The Trail Blazers have "long admired" Mikal Bridges, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported leading up to the trade deadline. That fueled speculation that Portland could land Bridges at the deadline if it facilitated a blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo deal that sees the superstar land with the Knicks.
That would've meant the Blazers would've had to fork over some of their most important assets, surrendering valuable Bucks draft capital to come away with a secondary star. But we always said that those Bucks picks are more valuable than a player of Bridges' caliber.
It was a good thing that Portland decided to remain quiet at the deadline, as that decision looks even better after seeing Bridges' recent struggles in New York.
Blazers were right to avoid Mikal Bridges
The Knicks are down 1-2 in their series against the Atlanta Hawks, and that may not have been the case had they gotten more production from their two-way wing. Bridges played just 21 minutes, putting up a goose egg with four turnovers and a minus-26 in what turned out to be a one-point loss. That forced Knicks coach Mike Brown to bench Bridges for the majority of the second half, giving Miles McBride extended run in his place.
This type of no-show is exactly what we were concerned about when Portland was involved in trade rumors. Bridges' player archetype is incredibly valuable in the NBA, and it's easy to see how the Blazers liked the idea of pairing him with Damian Lillard as a complementary piece. But that's a steep price to pay when the Blazers need more of a needle-mover to put them into that tier of legitimate contenders.
Bridges may be on a somewhat reasonable $24.9 million salary this season. Still, that jumps all the way to $41.5 million, when he has a player option in 2029-30. Portland will finally be off the steep contracts of Jerami Grant and Jrue Holiday at that point, and the last thing they want to do is get tied up in another one of these B-tier players long-term, as it prevents their flexibility to retain and upgrade their roster.
Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has won the vast majority of his trades in Portland, and this decision not to acquire Bridges at the deadline should be considered yet another win.
Now, the Blazers head into a pivotal offseason with their entire treasure chest of assets, giving them a better chance of landing a bigger-name player who will actually help move the needle.
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