Brooklyn Nets: Where Will The Roster Tear Down Go Next
Where do the Nets go from here and who else gets moved this summer
The Brooklyn Nets seem to be in complete rebuild mode as they have turned their attention towards selling the whole team and starting from scratch. The Nets traded Mikel Bridges to their crosstown rival last night and aren’t stopping there.
The Nets are in a prime position for a complete rebuild, and despite not having the talent to compete this year they may be back sooner than you think. With 16 first-round draft picks over the next seven years, and over 90 million dollars to spend in free agency come next year, they may be right back to being a competitive team in no time.
Where should the Nets go from here? The Nets still have valuable players that they are going to move before the start of the season or maybe even during the season which will only increase their draft capital.
Ben Simmons is the first and obvious name on the list that is going to be moved, and he should bring back the least amount of value unless the Nets are looking to get a valuable player back in return. Simmons’ whose contract is expiring, is a valuable piece to trade if he is being traded to a team looking to rebuild. His current team the Nets, is why holding onto him may be an option as well. Maybe the Nets can look to move him to a team like the Hornets who had interest at the trade deadline in Simmons, and just get rid of the constant headache he has been.
Cam Johnson is another name that jumps to the top of the list as he brings elite-level shooting and very solid defense to any team that will acquire him. Johnson, better off as a role player on a contending team figures to bring the Nets at least one first-round pick back and possibly much more. This would make sense for the Nets because Johnson is 28 and is not going to be a part of this team when/if it ever gets back to being an elite-level team, and the Nets would be smart to capitalize on his value right now.
The Nets should look to add a young potential player or a younger star so the team can build around that player while rebuilding and give the fans some type of incentive to watch and go to their games. Nic Claxton could be the piece that brings the Nets that type of player. The Nets can use Claxton in a sign and trade to trade him to a team like the Pelicans, who if you attach a draft pick to him may trade you, Brandon Ingram. Ingram is a guy the Nets can build around, and potentially adding Cooper Flagg next off-season if the lottery is nice to them, could make the Nets a very attractive free-agent destination for whoever is available next off-season.
Other names that are expected to get moved are players like Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney Smith, Bojan Bogdanovic, Keita Bates-Diop, and Day’ron Sharpe. These players will probably not bring back a great amount of value like the other players, but getting something for a veteran player is better than getting nothing for them and still losing 60 games.
The Nets made the right and smart choice by getting the absolute maximum value back for Mikal Bridges and starting a complete rebuild. Nets GM Sean Marks has done this before, and if they stay the course, they know they can potentially make themselves an attractive destination as soon as the 2025 offseason.
