According to ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Mikal Bridges is headed to the Knicks to join his former Villanova Wildcats teammates on Tuesday night as New York pushes to compete in the Eastern Conference.

For Bridges, New York is shipping Bojan Bogdanovic and five future first round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets.

From 2015-2018, Mikal Bridges played for Villanova with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo where the group helped the Wildcats win two National Championships.

Last season, Bridges averaged 19.6 points. 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

This trade comes after Knicks forward OG Anunoby opted out of his contract in favor of becoming a free agent. New York traded for Anunoby last December and he averaged 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

Knicks Continue to Climb Eastern Conference

The New York Knicks went on an impressive run during the second half of last season to clinch the 2^nd seed. Post All-Star Break, the Knicks went 17-10 and won their final 5 regular season games.

They used their late season momentum to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 in the 1^st round of the NBA Playoffs, but gassed out during their 2^nd round matchup against Indiana and fell in seven games.

Though they lost in the 2^nd round, the Knicks seem to be looking to take advantage of their window of contention by adding to their talented group.

Jalen Brunson’s level of play took an excellent jump last season, as he was selected to the NBA All-Star Game and to the All-NBA 2^nd Team. Brunson recorded 28.7 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game in his stellar year last season.

Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart added 24.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. Julius Randle, who only played 46 games last season, compiled 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.

By adding Mikal Bridges, the New York Knicks give themselves a legitimate opportunity to battle the Boston Celtics for the top of the Eastern Conference.

Not only is Bridges a versatile player on both ends of the floor, but he fits head coach Tom Thibodeau’s mold. Bridges played 34.8 minutes per game last season and hasn’t missed a game in six consecutive seasons.

The Eastern Conference will be very competitive next season, but New York is maximizing their potential to have a great chance to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.