The Brooklyn Nets were supposed to be NBA bottomfeeders this year. After trading “star” Mikal Bridges to the crosstown Knicks for a massive return following a disappointing 2023-2024 campaign, many thought the tank was on. However, the Nets have been a surprise team during the early part of the season, and even in losses have shown they can hang with the NBA’s absolute best.
That has seemingly caught the attention of Milwaukee Bucks’ star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who many believe is becoming increasingly unhappy with the underperforming Bucks. According to CBSSports’ Bill Reiter, at least one NBA executive has heard rumblings that Brooklyn along with Miami are the Greek Freak’s preferred landing spots.
Brooklyn is an attractive landing spot for a multitude of reasons
Aside from the typical big market allure, Brooklyn has several advantages that seem to make it one of the premier destinations at the top of wish lists every time a disgruntled star hits the market.
First and foremost, the organization has been routinely praised for its treatment of players over the years with only one notable exception, Kyrie Irving, having negative feelings about his treatment by the franchise. Most praise the culture, acceptance of family, and amenities provided to the players.
Since the end of the Big Three Era, Giannis isn’t the first star to reportedly prefer to play in Brooklyn with similar rumors swirling around Heat star Jimmy Butler leading up to the season. Even with the team’s current makeup, it seems that they are a draw to the league’s top talent.
Milwaukee may be motivated to sell
The Bucks are in a tough spot. Since winning it all in 2021, Milwaukee has gone through two head coaches and struggled to make a deep playoff run. Last year, they cashed in almost all their future chips to acquire superstar Damian Lilliard from Portland, however, they sit at just 2-8 through 10 games this season.
Their roster is aging and lacks depth. They lack any real pathway to upgrade it as they only own their 2031 first and second-round picks as trade chips. Furthermore, as a team above the second apron, the restrictions on trades and acquisitions make finding a deal difficult.
Under those restrictions, the Bucks are prohibited from packaging more than one player in any given trade, and cannot take back more in salary than they send out. Some players they may hope to acquire, such as Brooklyn’s own Cameron Johnson, would see their cap number inflate if dealt to a team over the apron.
Above all else, Milwaukee is paying an exorbitant tax bill for very disappointing results. Trading the face of their franchise might be the only way out, and the only way to recoup assets to kick-start a rebuild.
The Nets have enough assets to pull off a blockbuster without mortgaging their future
The Nets own 16 first-round picks from 2025 to 2031, more than enough to satiate what the Bucks would want in return for one of the game’s premier superstars. More importantly, one of the firsts that the Nets own is Milwaukee’s which would put the Bucks back in control of their draft destiny this season.
On top of that, Ben Simmons’ expiring contract of just over $40 million would help greatly in offsetting Giannis’s $48 million dollar and would free a massive chunk of change off the Buck’s books in 2025, as opposed to 2028 when the Greek Freak’s deal is set to expire.
Furthermore, the Nets have a plethora of young talents to offer up, including 20-year-old Noah Clowney who could be a building block for Milwaukee to start a rebound.
The Nets could potentially pull off a deal while still maintaining more than a full complement of draft picks over the next five seasons, and retaining their most important asset, Cam Thomas.
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Would the Nets be wise to pull the trigger?
Brooklyn has been surprisingly competitive this season, sitting at 5-6 with most of the losses coming in tight games against the NBA’s elite. While it’s still very early, it wouldn’t be a stretch to envision them winning most of those tightly contested matchups if they had a true superstar on their roster.
Brooklyn has a burgeoning young star in Cam Thomas. They have a full complement of valuable role players to fill out the roster. They’d even have enough ammunition to go hunting for a second superstar if they chose to. The Nets have been rumored to be looking at an accelerated rebuilding timeline, and while this might not be the path they envisioned, their collection of assets makes it in the realm of possibility.
It is too early to definitively say whether or not a Giannis trade would be a wise move, however, if the Nets are still hanging around .500 at the trade deadline and the bottom continues to fall out on the Bucks’ season, the Nets should do anything possible to get one of the game’s best, a player who would fit head coach Jordi Fernandez’s system like a glove, to Brooklyn.
