Publicly and privately, the Nets have implied they have no interest in trading Mikal Bridges — to Portland or anywhere else.
Now the rising young star told The Post the Nets have told him exactly that.
Though the Nets want Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers might be more inclined to trade the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft to give their superstar an impactful running mate.
While Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby weren’t tempting enough, Bridges might be.
But the Nets, who rejected four first-round picks for him in February, aren’t interested in dealing him even for that high return.
Bridges has become a building block.
“Yeah, it’s unbelievable love, and I appreciate it a lot. It makes you feel good,” Bridges told The Post. “I think a lot goes into it, with just how I play, how I work, how I am as a person off the court, and just being a good person. I think that helps a lot, where they could obviously trade me and do this or that.
“As of right now they’re saying they’re not, but I think just being a good person kind of helps with that, because there’s just like you don’t want to lose a person like that, which is always a good quality to have. So, [I feel] just blessed, man; just blessed and very appreciative for that. And that just does show that love, honestly.”
Bridges arrived as the centerpiece of the Kevin Durant deal, and in 27 games with the Nets, he averaged 26.1 points on 48 percent shooting with solid defense.
The 26-year-old Bridges has rapidly become not just the Nets’ leading scorer, but also the face of the franchise. He has been invited to events with team owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai, and has become ubiquitous in the community, showing up Wednesday at the eBay Collectors Camp at The Post in Bushwick.
Though the Tsais may have asked Bridges to attend events, one thing they and general manager Sean Marks haven’t asked him to do yet is recruit his longtime friend, Lillard.
“Not really, no. I see [the rumors] all over, though. I see it all over. And I kind of talk to him just to see,” Bridges told The Post. “They don’t know anything, and that’s good, I don’t want to know anything even if you do know something. I want you to do y’all job, I’m not here to do that. I’m here to just hoop, try to be the best teammate, player I can be, be coachable. … If they find out about something, I think they’ll tell me. But other than that, just waiting to see. We’ll see.”
There was no knowing wink or nod, with Bridges genuinely pleading ignorance of whether Lillard will finally demand a trade if the Trail Blazers keep their valued draft pick Thursday rather than get him immediate help.
Meanwhile, the Nets themselves have been active, seeking to move up in the draft order. Currently owning picks No. 21, 22 and 51, they could package either Royce O’Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith with one to get a higher selection.
Bridges said he hopes Cam Johnson, who arrived with him from Phoenix, re-signs next month as a restricted free agent. Either way, the team Bridges has been entrusted with leading could look a little different by the end of Thursday night.
“At this point you just kind of control what you can control, just see what happens, honestly,” Bridges told The Post. “You just go with team you have now and with the picks, whoever they, whoever we pick — I say they, because I’m not [deciding].
“You just kind of control what you control, just keep getting better. NBA trades, that stuff happens. I got to Brooklyn off a trade, so just staying ready, being ready and trusting what the staff and the front office are going to do. And I know they want to win. So just figure things out. But I love the guys we have right now, and now I’m just ready for the season.”