The Phoenix Suns are off to the 1-2 start that many could have predicted given their tough opening slate of games, but the New York Knicks limping 1-3 out of the gates has caught a lot of fans by surprise. Mikal Bridges has been made a scapegoat for these poor performances, yet even now he is exactly what the Suns need and the pain of giving him away for Kevin Durant in 2023 burns as strong as ever.
Bridges would be ideal all-in player to pair with Devin Booker
Ordinarily, trying to recreate the good times of a past experience does not go well. But with owner Mat Ishbia promising the Suns will win a playoff series this season, and with the franchise all-in on trying to win with Devin Booker, they swung for the wrong Bridges when they traded for Miles from the Charlotte Hornets. Mikal on this roster would have made much more sense not only next to Booker, but Dillon Brooks as well.
Bridges could have been the lockdown wing defender that Ryan Dunn never morphed into and that the franchise let walk out the door in Toumani Camara. Dillon Brooks could move up to the four; Jalen Green would have more defensive help, and the Suns would be in a much better place on both ends of the court. All of which was given up for the failed idea of Durant being the missing piece. Sigh.
Bridges is only beginning the first year of a four-year, $150 million extension, and it is easy to see why the Knicks would feel uneasy about paying him all that money as a 30-year-old who looks to be on the (slight) decline.
Only that timeline matches up perfectly with Booker, while the Suns still have youngsters such as Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koa Peat to help take them into the future. Having him on that kind of deal in Phoenix would have been difficult to make work, but owner Mat Ishbia will pay any price if he thinks it would make the team better. We know that Bridges would do just that.
Suns must get creative in trying to open title window for Booker again
The front office has proven, with previous trades for Durant and Miles Bridges, that they will do whatever they can to maximise Booker's abilities, even if some of the players they gave away to get those guys are excelling away from The Valley. Bridges is an ironman who is still in his prime; it just happens that the money he is making and who he is as a player don't align with what the Knicks need anymore.
They got their championship out of him, and there would be no better way for him to finish out his career than by trying to get the Suns to the top of the mountain. If nothing else, it would surely keep Booker happy through the extreme ups and downs that have already come with being the leader of this roster. It would also be an opportunity for Ishbia to undo that disastrous Durant trade.
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