FICKLE PHILLY
76ers draft Nova star then send him packing
The NBA draft isn’t a magical night for every lottery pick. Just ask Mikal Bridges. It wasn’t a nightmare, but it was far from the dream scenario it initially appeared.
One moment, the “3and-D” specialist from national champion Villanova was basking in getting picked 10th by his hometown 76ers, addressing reporters about the prospect of playing for the on-the-rise franchise his mother works for, and the next moment he was traded to the rebuilding Suns on the other side of the country.
“It really is [bittersweet],” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “It’s a great test of being a professional athlete. You’re the toast of the town, then you lose a playoff series, and the town hates you. That happens. That’s the thing professional athletes deal with. I think Mikal is as equipped [as] anybody to handle those things.”
He didn’t disappoint his coach.
A few hours later, Bridges posted on Twitter: “LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN !!! @Suns.” He also told Philly.com: “No, there’s no disappointment. It’s a business and I’m excited to go to Phoenix. I’m excited to go out there and get this team going, ready to turn this thing around.”
Once the pick was announced, Bridges’ mother, Tyneeha Rivers, who works for the 76ers in their human resources department, was seen celebrating in the green room. The trade news came as Bridges was done talking about how excited he was to be staying close to his Malvern, Pa., home. The mood was obviously different later, when the 76ers traded Bridges’ draft rights to the Suns in exchange for Texas Tech guard Zhaire Smith and an unprotected 2021 first round pick.
“She’s a smart businesswoman, but she’s disappointed,” Wright said of Bridges’ mom. “Her son was going to be in her hometown, and now he’s going across the country. She’ll handle it. The 76ers have to do what’s best for the 76ers.”