The Brooklyn Nets pulled off their second blockbuster NBA trade in a matter of days on Wednesday Night. After trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks over the weekend, they have now sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns as well.
The teardown in Brooklyn has come virtually out of nowhere as the Nets had been playing some good basketball this season. Alas, whatever issues arose during the offseason when Durant and Irving sought to change teams seem to have risen back to the surface.
Looking for a fresh slate, the Nets opted to trade both players and now get going on a new plan. They are now flush with assets and some very good young players. The future is bright in Brooklyn given how deep and talented this roster is overall. However, the players could still change.
With only hours until the NBA Trade Deadline, the Nets remain active in trade talks. They now have a massive logjam on the wing as they acquired Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Jae Crowder from the Suns. That is on top of Dorian Finney-Smith coming from the Mavericks and the team already having Royce O’Neale and Joe Harris.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns & Brooklyn Nets
Something will have to give in the coming hours as the Nets will look to even out their roster and depth chart. Crowder is reportedly being shopped by the team and Bridges is also garnering a lot of attention.
Several teams have already reached out to the Nets in regard to Bridges according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. How much he is worth could surprise some people. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, the Nets could get up to three first-round picks in exchange for Bridges.
While Bridges could very well be a part of the Nets’ core moving forward, no one would blame them for accepting a trade offer of that magnitude. Landing three more first-round picks would be huge for Brooklyn as they head into a rebuilding and retooling era.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns & Brooklyn Nets
At this point, stockpiling as many picks as possible is a sound strategy for the Nets to take. It will give them a ton of flexibility heading into the future and provide them with enough assets to swing another blockbuster trade for the next star that becomes available.
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