Josh Hart had wasted no time on September 15th. The Knicks had just brought Ryan Arcidiacono back to the team, ironically having ended up with the Blazers a few months earlier in the trade that had brought Hart to New York, when he addressed Mikal Bridges directly on I want to propose something. “The “Thing”, although not made explicit, was clear to everyone: Hart wanted to propose, it is not clear how much for fun, to Bridges to cross the Brooklyn Bridge and join his old companions. Hart and Arcidiacono, in fact, together with Jalen Brunson and the other new Knicks signing, Donte DiVincenzo, already formed a nice quartet of veterans from their common experience at Villanova. A quartet that was missing just one element to compose the perfect quintet, which was missing another former Wildcat, namely Bridges himself.
The five, Brunson, Hart, DiVincenzo, Arcidiacono, and Bridges were teammates during the 2015-16 season, which ended with the incredible victory in the final against North Carolina and the unlikely conquest of the NCAA title. The bond between the players involved, strengthened during the summer with Brunson, Hart, and Bridges among the ranks of Team USA, has always been very strong. Just as the temptation to put the old band back together, a quintet entirely branded Villanova, would be very strong. Bridges, however, has responded several times, including to Hart himself on It is therefore difficult to see the five Wildcats together again with the same shirt, but it is a safe bet that the flattery and back and forth between Manhattan and Brooklyn are not destined to end with the start of the season.