Sometimes, an NBA team is only one piece away. Usually, we’re talking about a solid team. A playoff hopeful. If they just had that one player, who knows? That team could get into the title race.
The Brooklyn Nets are one such team. Look at this roster. The Nets have one of the deepest groups of defensive wings in the NBA. They’ve got one of the best switch bigs in the league in Nicolas Claxton. Mikal Bridges looks like a strong secondary shot creator. What are the Nets missing?
A primary playmaker. The Nets need a player who can be their offensive focal point. Ideally, it would be a point guard. The Nets could manage a high-usage playmaker since the rest of their roster is mostly comprised of lower-usage players.
How about Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks?
NBA Trade Proposal — Brooklyn Nets Land Trae Young
Atlanta Hawks Receive: F/C Ben Simmons, 2025 First-Round Pick (PHX via BKN), 2027 First-Round Pick (Top 8 Protected – PHI via BKN), 2029 First-Round Pick (DAL via BKN)
Brooklyn Nets Receive: G Trae Young
Life moves fast in the NBA. The Nets don’t have an offensive focal point. Just a couple of years ago, they had three. The Nets were the scariest superteam in the National Basketball Association.
Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. They were all on the Nets. Now, none of them were. What happened here? Well, it may have been a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. Egos got in the way. Perhaps it’s just difficult to have three offensive focal points.
You still need one. Now, the Nets find themselves in a unique position. They received a lot of draft capital for those three stars but don’t control their own draft.
LATEST NBA TRADE RUMORS: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets Updates
The Houston Rockets own their first-round picks, whether outright or via swap, through to 2027. The Nets have no incentive to tank.
Is that enough to motivate them to acquire Young?
Why The Brooklyn Nets Do This Deal
Let’s ask a different question: why would the Hawks make Young available? Well, as dynamic as he is on offense, he’s a remarkably poor defender. Young is small and can easily be exploited in several situations.
How do you cover for him? By surrounding him with 3-and-D wings and an elite defensive big. By that logic, the Nets were built to trade for Young. Between Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Royce O’Neale, and Dorrian Finney-Smith, they may have the best collection of 3-and-Ds in the league.
Claxton will make life easier for Young as well. That’s true on both ends of the floor. The Nets’ offense should be simple but effective following this deal.
LATEST NBA TRADE RUMORS: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets Updates
They’ll run a spread pick and roll with Young and Claxton, and Bridges can bail them out when it doesn’t work. That formula should get this team back in the playoffs and potentially poised for a deep run.
Should the Hawks help them make those improvements?
Why The Atlanta Hawks Do This Deal
The Hawks have made a reasonable effort to build around Young as well. Yet, they may have made a fundamental error. Dejounte Murray may not have been the right player to pair with him.
Sure, he can cover for his defensive shortcomings, but his poor shooting makes him a questionable fit with the ball-dominant Young on the other end of the floor.
On the bright side, the Hawks already have Murray. He’s a natural point guard, so he can replace Young instantly. In making that swap, the Hawks built a strong defensive identity.
Suddenly, all the defensive players they’ve acquired to cover for Young are working together. The Hawks wouldn’t have any holes on that end of the floor.
LATEST NBA TRADE RUMORS: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets Updates
They’d also have made up all of the draft capital that they sent out for Murray. He cost them three first-round picks, and that’s what they’re getting back. In time, they could use those picks to trade for a star.
After all, following this deal, the Hawks might be one piece away.
