The Golden State Warriors may need to get creative when it comes to returning to NBA title contention status next season. One name that has been floated as a potential trade candidate this offseason is Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges.
Bleacher Report’s Allen Stiles put together several potential trade proposals for Golden State, including one idea that sends Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith to the Warriors. The NBA analyst labeled this “monster” trade pitch as his “spiciest” option of the proposed deals for the Warriors.
Golden State lands this intriguing Nets duo but has to give up Andrew Wiggins, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Kevon Looney. The Warriors are also sending a future first rounder to the Nets as part of the deal.
“This one was probably the spiciest one I came up with,” Stiles detailed in a June 2024 Bleacher Report live stream. “Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, if the Nets decide to finally move off of Mikal Bridges because they can’t get a star. And they’re only going to have a little bit of time before they make that decision. For Wiggins, Looney, Moody, Podziemski and a first-round pick and that’s a lot.
“But you’re getting back Mikal Bridges… Dorian Finney-Smith, [a] 3-and-d guy [who is] really going to shore up the bench and things like that. That is kind of the monster that I would do.”
Nets Forward Mikal Bridges Is on a 4-Year, $90.9 Million Contract
First, let’s take a look at some of the financial components of this trade. Bridges has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $90.9 million contract.
The veteran averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1 steal per game while shooting 37.2% from long range in 2023-24. Perhaps even more impressive is Bridges started and played in all 82 games for the Nets, a rarity in today’s NBA.
The veteran sharpshooter is a more affordable option compared to Wiggins’ four-year, $109 million deal. Wiggins still has three seasons remaining on his contract but has a player option in 2026 if the former No. 1 pick wants to test free agency.
Finney-Smith has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $55.5 million contract. The forward also has a player option that allows him to hit free agency as soon as 2025 if Finney-Smith foregoes the final year of his deal.
Klay Thompson Leaving the Warriors Is ‘More Probable Than Ever Before’: Insider
For the Warriors to make a trade like this giving up so many assets, the front office would need to be convinced the move can catapult the franchise back into title contention. Some of the Warriors’ potential moves will depend on what Klay Thompson does in free agency.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater labeled talks between Thompson and Golden State as “frozen”. The Golden State insider added that Thompson bolting in free agency appears to be “more probable than ever before.”
“Klay Thompson isn’t currently mulling a shorter-than-desired offer from the Golden State Warriors,” Slater wrote in a June 22 article titled, “Negotiations between Klay Thompson, Warriors frozen as free agency looms: Sources.” “Despite a wide open negotiation window, there isn’t a one-year, two-year or three-year deal on the table. Because nothing is currently on the table, according to league sources. There’s been no productive discussion between the Warriors and Thompson or his representatives.
“Talks are essentially frozen. With free agency now less than 10 days away, Thompson’s exit from the only franchise he has ever known feels closer and more probable than ever before.”
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