Johnson credited Bridges being a big help in a challenging 2022-23 season. Between Johnson’s meniscus surgery that November and them being traded to Brooklyn in the Kevin Durant deal three months later, Bridges helped keep him positive, especially adjusting to a new city.

True feelings will be revealed when Brooklyn faces Bridges for the first time since the trade on Friday at Madison Square Garden.

Knicks fans were mostly ecstatic. Nets fans were disappointed but understood. The blockbuster trade that sent Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn to Broadway for five first-round draft picks, a second-rounder and a first-round pick swap felt like a seismic move that said a lot about the directions the two franchises were headed.