The Mikal Bridges trade and its satellite deal with the Houston Rockets that saw the Brooklyn Nets acquire their own future picks back led many to believe that the team was entering a long, gradual rebuilding period. The thought was, that by acquiring their own picks, the Nets were back in control of their own destiny and no longer had to masquerade as half-in half-out contenders.
But according to the NY Post, the feeling around the league is that the Nets aren’t looking to build slowly. Instead, they look at 2025 as the pivotal year where they’ll have $80 million in cap space after the albatross contract of Ben Simmons, among others, expires, as well as 16 first-round picks over the following seven years to spend. Additionally, the 2025 draft class is expected to be loaded, perhaps giving the Nets a young star to build around instantly.
This is a path the Nets have taken before
After the failed trade with the Boston Celtics that brought Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn left the Nets with no assets and a bleak future the Nets got to work trying to make NYC’s other team an attractive destination for superstars.
First, they had to build up the roster, with general manager Sean Marks showing a keen eye for uncovering underappreciated talent. He bought low on former second-overall pick D’Angelo Russell. He uncovered hidden gems in the likes of Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie who were cast-offs nearly out of the league.
He also took on bad contracts to acquire late first-round picks. Picks towards the end of the first round are typically a no-man’s land for talent, but again Marks’ keen eye was evident. He used those picks to select players like Jarrett Allen and Caris Levert who beat the odds to become rotation-caliber pros.
From the end of the Garnett era in 2015 to the end of the 2018-2019 season, the Nets accumulated young players and cap space, culminating in a scrappy underdog squad securing a playoff appearance before being ousted in five games by the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs opening salvo.
That collection of young talent, the alluring destination of Brooklyn, and most importantly the cap space allowed them to real in superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and later trade for James Harden. No matter how that Big Three Era ended, the process of going from bottom dwellers with no future to serious title contenders in four short years was sound.
Things are done differently now
No longer are stars hitting the free-agent market. Instead, they opt to take the biggest contract possible — a supermax from their current team — and force a trade later on, as Brian Lewis notes in his report. But the Nets have another advantage this time around.
That is, this time around they have their own picks. They control their own destiny. They’ll have the ability to pounce if the right star becomes available, but also have the flexibility to build slower through the draft if the right player doesn’t become available.
That also gives them leverage in trade negotiations. The Nets don’t have to part with their assets, and should only do so if the right player comes along. If not, the Nets could be content to take hotshot prospect Cooper Flagg should the ping pong balls bounce their way in the 2025 Draft Lottery and build around him and his superstar potential.
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Is the warp speed rebuild the right path?
That’s the million-dollar question. The answer will depend on who becomes available on the trade market and whether or not they want to play in Brooklyn. Historically, the Nets haven’t been a top-tier destination for free agents, save for 2019, and now that superstar trades are an extension of free agency, that is important.
A superstar would have to buy into the idea of conquering the NYC basketball landscape from the position of an outsider, and also be intrigued enough by the young core around him to believe that he would have a championship-caliber supporting cast.
Right now the answer to that question is iffy. However, by acquiring their own picks back the Nets have the option to exercise patience if necessary. Really the only wrong move is hitching their wagons to the wrong star. Otherwise, the Nets are owners of the most enviable situation of the rebuilding teams in the Association. They just have to capitalize on it.
