The New York Knicks made big moves in the hopes of creating a championship-caliber roster. They fell short, however, after being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Indiana Pacers in a 125-108 Game 6 loss. One of the big moves made by general manager Leon Rose was a trade for forward Mikal Bridges, which saw New York deal away five future first-round picks. On Tuesday, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith criticized Rose for the potential disaster that lies ahead for this organization.
To put it simply, Smith is not a fan of how Rose constructed the roster for the future. The famed sports analyst claims that giving up five future first-round picks, with four of them being unprotected, puts the Knicks in a bad spot for the long term. Especially considering Rose gave up that much draft capital for Mikal Bridges, who has never been an All-Star.
Additionally, the team is hard-pressed when it comes to the salary cap, so the front office doesn't have much wiggle room to acquire talent to improve the roster without making drastic trades. The Knicks' general manager gave up a ton of assets to acquire Mikal Bridges, but Stephen A. Smith believes that as time goes on, it could cripple the franchise.
“I'm not gonna point the finger at Tom Thibodeau… I'm looking at Leon Rose. This trade for Mikal Bridges is going to come back to haunt this team.”
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"I'm not gonna point the finger at Tom Thibodeau… I'm looking at Leon Rose. This trade for Mikal Bridges is going to come back to haunt this team."
Stephen A. Smith on the Knicks.
(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/KMdbhiHUb2
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 3, 2025
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Albeit, Bridges had a decent regular season in his debut year with the Knicks. The 28-year-old forward ended the 2024-15 campaign averaging 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 50.0% from the floor and owning a 35.4% three-point percentage. But his efforts weren't enough to elevate the Knicks to play in the Finals.
With the rest of the Eastern Conference seemingly improving, Smith may be right in his opinion about the Knicks' status moving forward. The Orlando Magic will likely be a better team next season, while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers seem primed to remain on top of the rankings. Additionally, you can't count out the Boston Celtics either, even though the team won't have Jayson Tatum next season.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Benedetto Vitale has nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, with expertise in covering the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, and UFC. The Oregon alumni resides in Corvallis, Oregon, and has previous bylines at BroBible and Athlon Sports.