The Nets‘ famous offseason trade with the Knicks — centered around Mikal Bridges — looks more like highway robbery each day.
General manager Sean Marks fleeced five first-round picks from the Knicks in exchange for a forward who never made an All-Star team and hadn’t been named to an All-Defensive staff since 2022. The Knicks, hellbent on buying the previous Villanova star, had been prepared to overpay for Bridges — and Marks took full benefit.
And it made final weekend’s blockbuster deal between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers look much more ridiculous.
“We thought Shams got hacked or it was a fake account,” Nets ahead Day’Ron Sharpe stated. “I’m not going to lie; Mavs fans should be mad… If I was a Mavs fan, I would be mad that they traded Luka.”
However it was oh so actual. The commerce has already had a seismic impression on the steadiness of energy throughout the league, and now Brooklyn has discovered itself caught within the rubble.
It’s no secret that the rebuilding Nets have been buying ahead Cam Johnson for some time now, as his career-best scoring marketing campaign — and league-leading efficient subject objective effectivity — has garnered the eye of quite a few contending suitors across the league.
Marks has reportedly been in search of two first-round picks in alternate for Johnson. After the Doncic deal, with the NBA commerce deadline simply days away, the Nets may’ve simply misplaced their bargaining energy.
Doncic is a real celebrity. A franchise constructing block who routinely averages a close to triple-double. A 6-7 guard who can dish the rock like Magic Johnson and rebound like Kevin McHale. He’s solely 25, he simply led Dallas to the NBA Finals final season, and hasn’t entered his prime.
But Doncic was traded for a 31-year-old All-Star in Davis, a task participant in Christie, and one first-round decide. The deal fully reset the market, simply days earlier than Marks needed to decide on one in every of his extra polarizing gamers. And if Doncic — a generational expertise — went for just one first-rounder, what hope does he have of discovering a suitor that’s prepared to half methods with a number of first-round picks for a 28-year-old Johnson?
Maybe Marks ought to’ve dealt Johnson earlier within the season, whereas the iron was scorching. The ahead has missed 5 straight video games due to a proper ankle sprain, and whereas he did take part in most of observe on Monday, he’s nonetheless thought-about day-to-day and received’t play in Tuesday’s matchup towards the Houston Rockets, both. After that, the Nets could have one sport left earlier than Thursday’s commerce deadline.
There’s all the time an opportunity that groups who missed out on their main commerce targets might get determined and be prepared to overpay for Johnson. To not the extent that the Knicks overpaid for Bridges final offseason however could possibly be open to throwing in further picks in pursuit of a deep playoff run. In spite of everything, whereas Johnson isn’t Doncic, he’s nonetheless a needle-mover who might make a distinction for a contending staff. A primary-rounder and a prospect or participant could be cheap.
But when nobody is prepared to fulfill Marks’ asking worth, and he refuses to settle, he might merely preserve Johnson previous the commerce deadline. He’s an elite shooter. He’s nice within the locker room. And with two years left on his present deal value $21.5 million yearly, he could be stored whereas sustaining monetary flexibility.
Initially Revealed: February 3, 2025 at 4:36 PM EST
