Between the Knicks and Timberwolves, which team ended up overpaying to bring in star talent? Let’s dive in.

Reviewing the cost of Rudy Gobert/Mikal Bridges trades

Before we get into what each player brings to their respective teams, lets recap what the Timberwolves and Knicks paid to acquire Rudy Gobert and Mikal Bridges.

• Timberwolves traded: Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, four unprotected first-round picks, 2026 pick swap
• Jazz traded: Rudy Gobert

• Knicks traded: Bojan Bogdanovic, five first-round picks (four unprotected, one top-4 protected), an unprotected pick swap, future second-round pick
• Nets traded: Mikal Bridges, future second-round pick

So, the Knicks ended up sending a total of five first-round picks, plus granted the Nets the option to swap first-round selections if it’s advantageous for Brooklyn. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves parted with four firsts, plus a pick swap.

Obviously, the biggest difference here, aside from the Knicks giving up another first-round pick, is the players the Timberwolves traded away. Yet, none of these athletes are difference-makers, and only Kessler remained in Utah after one season.

The Timberwolves never lacked depth following the trade, with Tim Connelly continuing to build an extremely deep roster of talent that still continues today. Sure, they may have trouble replenishing talent in the future without first-round picks, but the Timberwolves have been great at adapting on the fly, retooling the roster when a key player departs.

As for the Knicks, it’s the same move the Timberwolves did back in 2022; they’re all-in. Minnesota had a disappointing first-round playoff exit to the Nuggets in their first season with Gobert, which was the same result they had the season prior in their loss to Memphis.

Obviously, we don’t know how the Knicks will do with Bridges on the roster, but they were already a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals, so expectations will remain sky-high next season. Anything less than another ECF appearance will be seen as a failure.

Related: 10 Greatest Minnesota Timberwolves Players Of All-Time

Comparing Rudy Gobert’s impact to Mikal Bridges

Okay, so we know what each team gave up to land Gobert and Bridges, but what about the actual players themselves? What are the Knicks getting in Bridges, compared to what Gobert brought to Minnesota?

When Gobert arrived in the Twin Cities, he was already a two-time All-Star, three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, earned four All-NBA honors, and was a six-time member of the All-Defensive team. He’s since added a DPOY award, made it to another All-Star game, and earned another All-Defensive honor.

• Rudy Gobert’s career stats before being traded: 12.4 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 2.2 BPG

At the time of the trade, Gobert was already viewed as one of the top 25 players in the NBA, he was on a Hall of Fame path, and had a reputation for being one of the top-five defenders too. None of those qualities have deteriorated since coming to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. It should also be noted that Gobert was set to turn 30 in his first season with the Wolves.

As for Bridges? He has nowhere near the same career résumé as Gobert.

But make no mistake, the Knicks made this trade for a reason. Bridges is still a very good two-way player, offering help on both ends of the floor, and at 27 years old, he’s also three years younger.

Yet, Bridges has never made an All-Star appearance, he’s never come close to doing anything that Gobert has, aside from being named to an All-Defensive team, back in 2022.

• Mikal Bridges’ career stats: 14.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 37.5% 3PT
• Bridges’ stats last season: 19.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1 SPG, 37.2% 3PT

To be fair, we had to show Bridges’ stats in his most recent season with the Nets since that’s his most recent performance and likely what controlled the cost during trade negotiations. In Brooklyn, Bridges went from a defensive standout to one of the top-scoring threats on the Nets’ roster. Now that he’s in New York, where he’ll play second fiddle to Jalen Brunson from a scoring standpoint, expect Bridges’ points per game output to decrease slightly.

So, even though the teams didn’t negotiate with each other, who won the Gobert/Bridges trades? Which team ‘overpaid’? At this point, it’s hard to suggest the Timberwolves overpaid at all, as they’ve since become one of the best teams in basketball.

Meanwhile, the Knicks were already there, but can Bridges put them over the top? Is he really the missing piece in the Big Apple? Time will tell, but the early signs are that the Knicks paid way too much for their newest acquisition, but you can’t say the same about Gobert, despite what initial reports wanted you to believe.

Related: Tim Connelly Had Head Execs from Other Local Teams Helping in Timberwolves Draft Room

Mikal Bridges misses last-second free throws to tie game vs Timberwolves

How close are we talking? Nets guard Mikal Bridges was at the free throw line with 2 seconds remaining and a chance to tie. Fortunately, he missed the first and then purposely missed the 2nd. The Wolves got the rebound and limped out of Barclays Center with an ugly, but still official, 96-94 victory.

Mikal Bridges hits 2 CLUTCH free throws to win the game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LI1k11oJtP

— BrickMuse (@BrickMuse) January 26, 2024

The free throws came after a tenacious Timberwolves defensive possession ended in an irresponsible Jaden McDaniels foul, which is how Bridges ended up at the line with a chance to tie the game, in the first place.

Jaden McDaniels clapping and cheering Anthony Edwards on DURING this possession was simply fantastic. pic.twitter.com/Cd3qI6Js3c

— Kyle Theige (@KyleTheige) January 26, 2024

It was Minnesota’s defensive effort that kept them (mostly) in control all night. For the second game in a row, the Wolves were able to defeat a bad team, even though they weren’t running on all cylinders offensively.

Chris Finch talked after the game about how the Wolves must fix their many issues, before the playoff run, if they want to remain a top dog in the Western Conference. Still, not all contenders have the defensive capability to win games on nights where their offense doesn’t show up. It’s the main reason why the Timberwolves have a 32-13 record, one of the best in the entire NBA.

Related: Timberwolves are Targeting Monte Morris at Trade Deadline

Jaden McDaniels knew Bridges would miss?

After the game, Jade McDaniels was asked about how he was feeling when Bridges stepped to the line with the game on his shoulders. McDaniels — who committed the foul that put Mikal at the line — said he knew the 27-year-old former Villanova star would miss. Why was Jaden so sure? “I just knew he didn’t want to win the game…”

Jaden McDaniels on Mikal Bridges missing the free throws at the end: "I knew he was going to miss. I just knew he was."

Q: Why were you so confident?
"I just knew he didn’t want to win the game and it would be my fault we lost. I knew he wasn’t going to do that to me."

— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) January 26, 2024

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Brooklyn Nets (the rematch)

The Brooklyn Nets will be at Target Center on February 24 for the one and only rematch between the two clubs this season. We’ll see if Mikal Bridges brings any extra juice after these comments from McDaniels. The Timberwolves are off until Saturday evening, when they will play the hapless (8-36) San Antonio Spurs.