The Brooklyn Nets are clearly all in. A team with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving has to be. They haven’t been as good as once thought, although injuries have played a major role in that this season. Outside of injuries, there are constant rumors surrounding Harden’s future as well as Irving not being able to play in home games. It’s safe to say the ride hasn’t been smooth for Brooklyn. With the roster they’ve put together, however, Brooklyn has to be making moves to ensure they’re competing for the title this season and for the next couple of seasons.
Brooklyn Nets: Three Trade Ideas
Upgrading the Frontcourt
The trade: Brooklyn sends Bruce Brown and Day’Ron Sharpe to the Toronto Raptors for Chris Boucher.
Toronto is shopping Boucher. He’s capable of starting for many teams and is on an expiring contract, so Toronto does not want to lose him with no assets in return this offseason. Brooklyn is ready to contend and has a hole in its center position, so naturally, Boucher becomes a target.
Boucher has the length and size to fit in well with Brooklyn. He can defend the rim and block shots too, allowing Brooklyn to have a solid rotation between him and Nic Claxton. Boucher also has an outside shot, so he changes the offensive dynamic in Brooklyn. It may be difficult to retain him in the offseason, but he certainly boosts the Nets’ contending chances this season.
Toronto gets a solid perimeter guard in Brown in this trade. They can use the depth there and Brown is a proven player. He’s also on an expiring contract, but Toronto will have some flexibility this offseason should they decide to keep him. They also get a solid prospect in Sharpe. He’s averaging over six points and five rebounds per game, but about 10 points and eight rebounds in his last 10 games. Sharpe is young and under contract for the next few seasons, allowing Toronto to develop him.
Shooting Help
The trade: Brooklyn sends Paul Millsap and a second-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Ben McLemore.
Portland is on the cusp of a rebuild. Due to this, they should be compiling expiring contracts and future assets.
Brooklyn is looking for perimeter shooting. This is always a valuable asset to have and helps to have while Durant and Joe Harris are injured. McLemore is a great and cost-effective solution. He’s averaging just over nine points per game this season but also shooting over 41 percent from three. He won’t be a starter in Brooklyn but can be effective off the bench.
McLemore is under an expiring contract, but so is Millsap. This trade doesn’t affect Portland’s offseason plans. What it does, however, is give Portland an extra draft pick instead of inevitably letting McLemore walk for nothing in return this summer.
The Brooklyn Nets let go of Irving
The trade: Brooklyn sends Irving and Sharpe to the Dallas Mavericks for Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr, Maxi Kleber, and a second-round pick.
Although Irving and the Nets have their own dilemma to deal with, it still seems highly unlikely that the Nets would let the star point guard go. With that being said, it’s not impossible.
The NBA is exceedingly a “big three” league. The best of the best teams have three All-Star capable players. Brunson is balling for the Dallas Mavericks thus far, but Dallas may look to upgrade from the impending free agent. Pairing Irving with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis looks phenomenal on paper. Doncic and Irving create the top backcourt duo in the league.
Brunson remains an underrated NBA player. He’s averaging about 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game. He does this playing off-ball alongside Doncic, so he can do the same thing alongside Harden in Brooklyn. Hardaway Jr is also a fiery offensive player and gives the Nets a major bench boost as well as more perimeter shooting. Lastly, Kleber is a fantastic defender to add to the frontcourt, as well as a very solid three-point shooter.
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