With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving gone, the Brooklyn Nets are essentially starting over with a young core of wings and guards to go along with their newly assembled pile of draft picks.
While it’s hard to call the Nets winners in their trades this month, they did as well as you could expect, given the circumstances. With Spencer Dinwiddie, Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Thomas, and Mikal Bridges, the Nets have a solid roster of two-way wings and young players who can develop and grow in the future.
But did you know the Nets could have had up to four more first-round picks? According to a report from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Memphis Grizzlies offered four first-round picks for Bridges.
There were also reportedly several teams who offered multiple firsts for Dorian Finney-Smith.
Sources told The Post that multiple teams offered two firsts for Dorian Finney-Smith.
The Nets reportedly rejected offers of:
4 1st-round picks for Mikal Bridges
2 1st-round picks for Dorian Finney-Smith
Good move or bad move? pic.twitter.com/qj4ENVzW7u
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 15, 2023
So, it appears as if the Nets could have walked away from this trade deadline with up to six additional first-round picks — which really makes you wonder what kind of direction the front office is going.
If the Nets are rebuilding, every pick counts, and we can expect them to consider trading both DFS and Bridges for draft capital this summer. Beyond that, it’s hard to predict the future for this team or who may or may not be on the roster by this time next season.
Ben Simmons Is The X-Factor For The Nets
Lost in all the chaos of the deadline was Ben Simmons, who continues to play through various issues in what has been another disappointing season for him. While expectations were low for Ben at first, he has an opportunity to shine on this new-look Nets team that he may not get again.
If the Nets can rehab his game and bring back his confidence as a player, it could be the key to getting back on the path to real contention.
For now, the wait continues as the nets assess which players they want to keep in the post-Durant era.
But at some point, we have to assume Sean Marks will give in and go all-in on accumulating draft picks for the future.
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