Why The Brooklyn Nets Do The Deal
Conventional wisdom says that the Brooklyn Nets can’t afford to bottom out. After all, they owe their first-round picks, whether outright or via swap, to the Houston Rockets through to 2027.
Sometimes, conventional wisdom is wrong.
The Rockets will almost surely be a lottery team next season. Meanwhile, the Nets only owe them a swap. In other words, if both teams end up in the lottery, the Nets still get a lottery pick.
Let’s say the Nets land the 3rd pick, and the Rockets land the 6th. The Nets can still use that 6th pick to net a franchise cornerstone. The 2023 draft is deep. In that scenario, the Nets would likely walk away with someone like Dariq Whitehead, Cam Whitmore or Kel’El Ware.
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Pairing one of those prospects with OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa, and this much control of the Raptors’ draft through to 2029 sounds like a solid start to a rebuild to us.
