According to Marc Stein, the New York Knicks and Mikal Bridges will pause contract talks until the end of this upcoming season.
Bridges will be eligible for a four-year, $157 million extension next offseason; for this offseason/preseason, he was eligible to sign a two-year, $72.5 million extension that started on October 1st. However, multiple reports indicate he is not interested in it.
The 28-year-old is waiting until next offseason for more flexibility of years that puts him in a better position to negotiate a long-term contract. It is also due to the league’s six-month rule, where players are limited to four total years under contract during the first six months after a trade.
In 2026-27, Bridges will be an unrestricted free agent. He will be 30 years of age by that time. He’ll be making $23.3 million this season and then $24.9 million the following season.