Former Suns wing Mikal Bridges has enjoyed living in New York since being traded to Brooklyn right before Feb. 9 trade deadline, but selling his 6,682-square foot home in Phoenix and now living in a much smaller space hurts.
“I had to sell my crib, you know how nice that house is,” said Bridges in interview on The Pivot Podcast that posted this weekend. “How much I got it for and to where I paying where I am now in that little condo? Phoenix got a lot of plus and I love it there, the people there and everything, but New York is just different. It’s another spot I always wanted to live in.”
Bridges bought the Paradise Valley home two years ago for $6.075 million as he received a four-year, $90-million rookie extension going into the 2021-22 season.
The five-bedroom home is on the market for $7 million.
Now Bridges, who was part of the blockbuster Kevin Durant deal, is in a much smaller space albeit has a great view of New York.
“I don’t give a damn about the view,” Bridges smiled. “You think I just stare out the window every day living by the view. I’m talking about space. … Paying all this money. I’m just thinking about when I used to live in an apartment in Phoenix. Nice as hell, bigger than where I’m living now. I might pay $6,000, $7,000 times three and my spot is not even bigger than my spot was in Phoenix.”
In short, Bridges places greater priority over space than a view.
“You can put me in the damn basement if it got five bedrooms than two bedrooms on the 60th floor because of the damn view, I promise I’d be in the basement,” he said.
Bridges discussed several topics on the show with podcast hosts and former NFL players Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder with one being the firing of Suns coach Monty Williams.
“He’s going to get through it,” Bridges said. “He knows he’s a hell of a coach. He probably knows about the situation. Me personally, I say Monty is not the problem, but who am I?”
The Suns fired Williams two days after Denver eliminated Phoenix from the playoffs with a 125-100 Game 6 win at Footprint Center in the Western Conference semifinals at Footprint Center.
“Monty’s not the problem, but he’s going to be great somewhere else,” Bridges continued. “He’s going to get another chance and he’s going to be alright.”
Bridges also talked about the play of Nikola Jokic and how different the two-time NBA MVP is as a player from two years ago when the Suns swept the Nuggets in the 2021 West semifinals.
“A lot of our game plan was to let Jokic score because he wants to pass,” Bridges said. “That was a time in his life he really passed up an open shot to kick out for a corner 3. So we were just like, show and make him shoot because he’s like the guy you want to have on your team because he’s a great player, but he just doesn’t feel right trying to score every time or he wants everybody involved.”
Jokic averaged 25 points against the Suns in the 2021 playoffs.
Two years later, he averaged 34.5 points in the 4-2 series win over the Suns.
“Now he’s like, you know what, if you’re going to play me 1-on-1, I’m going to score every single time and I’m not going to miss because I get around the rim, I might shoot 14-of-16,” Bridges said. “So that dynamic right there of him like, OK, you want me to go score, I’m going to go score every time.”
The Nuggets have a 3-0 lead over the Lakers in the conference finals. Game 4 is Monday in Los Angeles.
No NBA team has ever come back from that deficit in a seven-game series.
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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