Mikal Bridges is where he wanted to be, in New York, on a title contender playing with his Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart (although there is now one less member of the Nova crew on the team this week).
That doesn’t mean he will extend his contract with the team, at least not until next summer, either ESPN’s Bobby Marks spoke on the Hoop Collective Podcast. The main reason is the six-month rule: For six months after a trade a player can only extend a contract to a total of four years (Bridges currently has two years remaining on his deal).
“The indication I’ve gotten just from talking to people is that there’s not going to be an extension, that he’s going to wait until next year to see what the extension is … because he’s limited to the six-month rule. How much can he extend Next year , it just gives him more flexibility [for Karl-Anthony Towns] change that thought. This was talking to people before this trade happened.”
The Towns trade shouldn’t affect Bridges’ thinking, he needs to focus on his own future and safety. First, the six-month rule limits an extension to 120% of his current contract, next summer, that can be up to 140%. Bridges will make $24.9 million this season, so an extension signed now would make him just under $30 million for 2026-27, well below his market value. The six-month rule also limits the size of the increase on that new contract to 5%, he would do less in future years.
Even if Bridges is willing to take a financial discount (as Brunson did) he’ll want the security of four years for just two, so it makes sense to wait until next summer to work out an extension.
With the trades for Bridges and Towns, the Knicks locked in their core: Brunson, Bridges, Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. If that group is as successful this season as they believe they can be, New York will pay to keep them all together next summer. Bridges can wait for a new deal to get a better one.
