The only way for the New York Knicks to free themselves from Mikal Bridges and his terrible contract may be a reunion with former star Julius Randle.

The Knicks are in a difficult spot a month into their first title defense in over 50 years. After a 0-3 start, they have played much better over the last couple of weeks, winning five of their last seven because they are giving up the second-fewest points in the NBA (103.5) and have been dominant on the boards even after losing Mitchell Robinson in the summer.

But the offense scoring just 110.3 points a night — eighth worst in the league — is cause for concern. However, that may not be their biggest problem. Bridges is off to the worst start of his career. He is averaging a ghastly 5.9 points per game on 38% shooting from the field, and an awful 27% from three-point range after 11 starts. Things have gotten so bad for the 30-year-old that benching him is a prominent topic of discussion around the team.

The New York Knicks have a big problem with Mikal Bridges

When Knicks management formed this talented core, it eventually became clear that Bridges was the weakest link in their starting five. However, he always kept up his end of the bargain, especially on defense. There is no doubt he played a meaningful role in their trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024-25, and the franchise’s legendary title run in the spring.

The Knicks have never needed Bridges to be great to win. But now he has become a detriment. Yet, he is a far bigger problem for their payroll. He is still on the books for three more seasons and over $115 million — 2029-30 is a player option worth $41.5 million. Bridges had a hard-to-trade contract when he was averaging 14 points a game last year. It is an impossible task now when he can barely manage over five.

His struggles while having such a big contract are only exacerbated because there are concerns the team could end up losing more valuable players like Karl-Anthony Towns or Josh Hart in the next two years because James Dolan does not want to go over the second luxury tax apron. Bridges’ terrible contract is blocking the Knicks from giving out those extensions.

Could a return to the Brooklyn Nets be an option for Bridges?

At this point, it seems like trading the nine-year veteran will probably be in the best interest of him and the team. But who would have any interest in taking that contract? Well, one option could be Bridges’ former team, the Brooklyn Nets.

If any team knows the value he has when he is at his best, it is the Nets and general manager Sean Marks. He traded for him three years ago, and the guard played like a borderline All-Star. He then flipped Bridges to the Knicks for five future first-round picks. Obviously, the Nets won that deal. Maybe they see value in reacquiring him, rebuilding his value, and doing it all again in a year or two?

The Nets are headed toward another bad season after starting the year 3-8. This is why The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported this week that Brooklyn “will listen” to any trade calls that come in for Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. They are already thinking about reinventing their team, and Bridges may be a better fit for this mostly young roster.

Why a NY Knicks reunion with Julius Randle makes sense

To make any trade work, especially one for Bridges’ contract, an equal amount of money must go back to the Knicks. Well, Randle has a contract that matches up perfectly, and he isn’t in their long-term plans. While few Knicks fans would have pondered the idea of a reunion with Randle, it may be the best outcome, assuming the Nets would even consider the idea. Hart could move down to the shooting guard spot, OG Anunoby would go back to small forward, and Randle would join Towns in the front court.

That would not be as athletic a starting five as they have now, but they would crush opponents on the board and have not one, but two big men that can stretch defenses. Yes, they would have trouble matching up with certain small lineups, but they would also create matchup problems for opponents too.

Furthermore, we know that Randle can play well with players like Hart, Anunoby, and Jalen Brunson because he did it three years ago. Many Knicks fans know they could have reached the Conference Finals in 2023-24 if the forward was healthy, because that group looked that good together. But there is one other intriguing reason why getting the three-time All-Star back would be good for New York.

Randle has a $35 million player option that he could opt out of in search of a long-term deal in the summer. Or he could accept it and stick around. If he did, the 31-year-old would give the Knicks a backup option they have trust in if they can’t come to terms with Towns on a new long-term deal. And he left in free agency after declining his own player option for 2027-28.

While Randle is not as good as Towns, fans have seen a strong Knicks team with Randle and their other key players. Plus, his smaller contract would give New York the flexibility to add impact depth, or give new extensions to Brunson, Hart, and Anunoby.

Is a deal likely? Probably not. But if there were any way for the Knicks to get out of Bridges’ contract this season, a trade with the Nets and a reunion with Randle might be one of the few worthwhile options.