The Brooklyn Nets were once among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. With the departure of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, however, the Nets have fallen down the ranks of the East over the years, as they finished in 12th in the Eastern Conference.
While this is largely negative, there has been a silver lining for the Nets. As they have embraced their rebuild, Brooklyn has built up its draft assets while simultaneously acquiring significant young talent.
Given that their rebuild has seen them acquire some talented trade pieces, such as Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn could look to continue with this practice. According to Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, one potential trade target for the Nets could be Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr.
“The Brooklyn Nets should be open to bringing in any young talent that could serve as a potential building block for the franchise,” wrote Swartz.
“Smith, 22, has shown flashes in his three years with the Houston Rockets, but hasn’t gotten the opportunity he needs with so many other mouths to feed. His role isn’t going to get any bigger now with Kevin Durant in town, either.”
“Smith’s new five-year, $122 million contract has the potential to age extremely well, especially if he gets traded to a team like Brooklyn that can supply him with a larger role. The Nets should monitor Smith’s situation in Houston, especially if he gets demoted to a bench role.”
With Kevin Durant’s arrival in Houston, the Rockets have effectively entered title contention. With a small championship window, owing to Durant’s age, it is unlikely for a young player like Smith Jr. to earn significant playing time, especially in the starting lineup.
When considering this train of thought, we examine how acquiring the 22-year-old would have an impact on the Nets.
Jabari Smith Jr. Could Thrive With The Nets
As constructed, the Brooklyn Nets aren’t primed to be a competitive team in the Eastern Conference. However, this creates the perfect opportunity for a young player to thrive in the system.
Surrounded by talented offensive players like Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas, Jabari Smith Jr. would find himself in the ideal position to expand upon his existing skill set and carve out a place for himself on the roster as a franchise player.
The former lottery pick from the 2022 NBA Draft boasts terrific upside as a two-way player and floor spacer. At 6’11”, the 22-year-old possesses impressive physical tools that complement his versatile skill set and athleticism. Presenting a lot of upside as a wing defender due to his agility and ability to run the floor, Smith Jr. has the potential to be a multi-level threat.
Last season, he averaged 12.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game. Although he averaged 30.1 minutes a game, Smith Jr. wasn’t consistently a starter for the Rockets. In many ways, the forward actually regressed compared to his sophomore campaign, since he also attempted fewer shots during the 2024-25 season.
In this regard, an opportunity could be available for him to start on the Nets, especially considering his defensive upside. In a more significant role, the forward could benefit from having more freedom to create scoring opportunities for himself, primarily because Thomas and Porter Jr. aren’t solid playmakers.
While this could also backfire and further limit the number of shots he takes, the onus falls upon Smith Jr. to establish himself as a viable scoring option while also anchoring the defense alongside Nic Claxton.
Overall, the Nets wouldn’t necessarily become a title contender or even a playoff team, for that matter. But with the right pieces in place, Brooklyn could be strengthening its core and laying the foundations to become a more competitive team in the future.
Should The Rockets Trade Smith Jr.?
Although Swartz presented the idea of Smith Jr. joining Brooklyn, he didn’t necessarily mention how such a deal would go through. On this note, here is a potential trade package that would help the Nets acquire the Rockets forward.
Potential Trade Details
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Jabari Smith Jr.
Houston Rockets Receive: Day’Ron Sharpe, Noah Clowney, 2029 second-round pick (DAL)
Given the Nets’ wealth of draft assets, it would prove to be an easy task to simply stack draft picks in any potential trade for Jabari Smith to complete the acquisition. When factoring in that the Rockets traded away several draft picks to land Kevin Durant, rebuilding their draft reserves could be in their best interests.
After receiving his contract extension, Smith Jr. is expected to have a cap hit of $12.3 million this season. With this in mind, formulating a trade may become simpler, but due to Brooklyn’s preference for low-cost contracts, this would require the Nets to include more player assets to complete the trade.
This could be a problem for the Rockets, who have already made some significant signings to round out their rotation. With 16 active players currently on their payroll, the Rockets would instead be required to cut more players to finalize their roster.
Hence, even in a proposal where the Nets would send a player like Terance Mann ($15.5 million) and picks for the 22-year-old, the Rockets would face the same problem.
Overall, while this deal could be of benefit to the Nets for the very reasons presented by Swartz, it doesn’t necessarily have much of a benefit for the Rockets, who would see much more merit in retaining Smith Jr., even in the capacity of a bench player.
Houston would never want these players and we do not need picks!