Knicks’ Mikal Bridges blockbuster a definitive sign from Jalen Brunson

If you list the Knicks’ biggest bets on trading Mikal Bridges, you won’t get past 1 or 2 without the double-down on Jalen Brunson.

For much of the last year – maybe even two years – debate raged over whether Brunson was a superstar who would carry the torch. Many intervened. Most answered “no”. Some said he was too small, too unathletic. Brunson converted some non-believers after posting Michael Jordan’s numbers in the playoffs.

But it was difficult to know where the organization stood as it searched for a trade target worthy of all those draft picks. Trade Tuesday night shouted the answer.

Bridges, unlike some of the other players linked to the Knicks recently (ahem, Donovan Mitchell, Joel Embiid), is a supplemental piece for Brunson, not a replacement. He masks Brunson’s defensive weaknesses on the perimeter, but doesn’t take the ball out of his hands. Brunson was the closer before the trade, and he’s even closer after the Knicks sent a boatload of picks to the Nets.

It was Léon Rose’s big job. Of course, there will be other additions before the season starts and, perhaps later, enough value on the roster to complete another blockbuster. But on Tuesday, Rose emptied her chest of assets. He relinquished control of five of his own first-round picks over the next seven years. It’s a one-off maneuver. You can forget the dreams of Giannis Antetokounmpo or Devin Booker.

And where does that leave the Knicks? Brunson, fifth place in 2024 MVP voting, as the No. 1 option. Julius Randle, managing his health following shoulder surgery, as No. 2. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, two high-end wing defenders, as Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.

To be clear, Bridges is more than just an actor. He is an elite actor. In Phoenix, he was a championship contender. He can create enough to get his number called in a half-court set, but Bridges won’t get priority over Brunson.

While the Knicks have banked on the middle, the big bet is that Brunson will at least match, and hopefully surpass, last season’s greatness. The Knicks are done if anything in the last year and a half was a fluke.

Brunson has already won over one famous skeptic, TNT analyst Kenny Smith, who went from bashing the point guard’s star power before last season to acknowledging his mistakes this week.

“Jalen has propelled himself to heights we never thought he could reach. … Could we have predicted this? I don’t think so,” Smith told the Post. “I never thought Jalen Brunson would have been a 40-point guy. He might have 40 now in his sleep.

The Knicks, as this trade has strengthened, have confidence in Brunson. He is the centerpiece and can enjoy the benefits. For example, Brunson was the first Villanova player on the list. There are now four Wildcat buddies. Depending on what happens to Ryan Arcidicacono, that could go as high as five NovaKnicks.

Mad.

The leader has been placed in a position where he should feel comfortable, a position to succeed. By adding Bridges, the Knicks continued to build around Brunson, not on him.

But that comes with something else: pressure. The Knicks can no longer be cast in the comforting underdog movie, and neither can Brunson. The team has put its faith and choices in the idea that the point guard is a 1A star.

Brunson now has to beat the Celtics.