2024/25 NBA Championship Odds: New York Knicks +1000 after trading for Mikal Bridges

David Schneidman Updated: Jun 26 2024 14:13

The New York Knicks have jumped to +1000 to win the 2024/25 NBA Championship after trading for forward Mikal Bridges.

It’s been just over a week since the Boston Celtics lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy as the 2023/24 NBA champions, and their rivals are already getting stronger for next season.

The Knicks and Brooklyn Nets agreed to a trade Tuesday night that sent Mikal Bridges to New York in exchange for multiple future first-round picks.

Trade details

Knicks get	Mikal Bridges, 2026 second-round pick
Nets get	Bojan Bogdanovic, 4x unprotected first round picks (2025, 27, 29, 31), Bucks top-four protected first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2028 unprotected pick swap

This trade is notable for several reasons.

First, the Knicks improve with this move, perhaps to a championship-contending level.

New York won 50 games for the first time in 11 seasons last year, earning the 2-seed in the East and reaching Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs. Bridges, one of the premier wings in the NBA, is the exact type of player a team looking to take the next step should want.

Secondly, this trade marks a long-awaited reunion for Bridges with his ex-college teammates.

Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo – all former Villanova players - were arguably the Knicks’ top three performers on their 2023/24 playoff run, and will now play alongside Bridges, their former running mate at ‘Nova.

All four players were on the 2016 Villanova team that won the national championship. Brunson, Bridges, and DiVincenzo were on the team that won it all again in 2018. Now, one of the most dominant college squads of the 21st century will suit up together in the pros.

There is no question the Knicks gave up a massive haul to get Bridges. But it is not atypical for NBA teams to trade a heap of future picks and assets to land a piece they feel can help them win now. The Knicks have “opened their championship window,” and are trying to capitalize sooner rather than later.

How does this help New York compete with the defending champion Celtics?

Boston remains the +300 favorite to win the 2024/25 title, but certainly have their eyes on the Knicks as a potential Eastern Conference Finals matchup. This is a matchup we nearly saw this past postseason, but a hobbled New York lost Game 7 at home to the Indiana Pacers.

The Milwaukee Bucks (+900) are the only other Eastern Conference team rated higher to win the championship.

Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.