The Houston Rockets are aggressively pursuing Brooklyn Nets small forward, Mikal Bridges, per The Athletic. Houston reportedly offered a deal that included multiple first-round picks to potentially attain Bridges. However, the Nets have remained adamant about not trading the up-and-coming wing player. The organization believes Bridges to be one of their foundational pieces going forward. Meanwhile, head coach, Ime Udoka, is doing everything in his power to get the Houston Rockets back to where they were at the start of the regular season. Currently, they have +500 odds to even reach the postseason. Houston made some key moves this offseason to assist their young talent. That is not deterring them from trying to improve their roster at the half-way point of the season.
Houston Rockets Making Strong Push to Trade for Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges’ Season So Far
Many NBA squads would love to have a player like Mikal Bridges and for good reason. He is one of the best three-and-D players the league has to offer. The former Phoenix Sun has polished his offensive game in recent years and can guard some of the best perimeter players in the NBA. He started to find his stride last year after being traded to Brooklyn in the infamous Kevin Durant deal.
Bridges has not missed a beat this season. So far, he is averaging numbers of 21.9 points, 5.0 total rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. On top of this, the former All-Defensive Team member is also shooting 45.5 percent from the field combined with a three-point shooting percentage of 36.9 percent. Elite two-way wings are of the upmost importance in today’s NBA. Mikal Bridges fits that prototype. As a result, it makes sense why the Houston Rockets are desperately trying to trade for the former Villanova product.
Would he Fit with the Houston Rockets?
Bridges would fit with about any roster in today’s NBA. As alluded to already, his skillset is one every team in the league covets. Not to mention, Bridges still has an extremely high ceiling. If the Rockets were able to trade for him, he would immediately bring an upgrade to their team defense. He and Dillon Brooks would be an opposing offense’s nightmare. Not to mention, Bridges’ presence would take some of the offensive pressure off their point guard, Fred VanVleet. Houston does have plenty of young talent they could potentially offer Brooklyn if they continue to pursue this avenue.
However, the Nets clearly feel like they can eventually get back into contention if they are denying a package with multiple first-round picks. Brooklyn is currently the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference with a win-loss record of 19-28. They will be getting many calls as the NBA Trade Deadline draws closer. The team still feels as if they have enough talent to make a push to at least get into the play-in picture. They currently have +600 odds to reach the playoffs. If things do not change soon though, the Nets may want to consider trading some of their assets and that could include Mikal Bridges.
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