With Kevin Durant wanting out (again), the Brooklyn Nets reset the franchise and moved on from the organization’s turbulent superstar era, sending Durant to Phoenix for a huge package of draft picks and players, highlighted by Mikal Bridges. You can see the full trade breakdown here.
ESPN gave the Suns an ‘A’ grade for going all in on a championship, but how are the Nets faring in trade evaluations?
No analysts will be giving the Nets a higher grade than the Suns – you can’t exactly lose a perennial MVP candidate and win the trade in the short term – but there is potential to rebuild a culture in Brooklyn around talented young players, and Mikal Bridges was an all-defensive first team selection in 2022.
Via ESPN:
“Brooklyn got a package that combined both young talent and draft picks instead of picking between the two. The Nets can’t entirely replace their own pair of first-round picks and two swaps sent to the Houston Rockets in the James Harden trade, but they are now well ahead in terms of total first-rounders and control the Suns’ draft from 2027 through 2029, when Durant’s contract will be up and Booker will be in his 30s.
Bridges and Johnson are young enough to be part of Brooklyn’s future, particularly with tanking an unappetizing prospect over the next few seasons. In a fascinating twist, the Nets have gone from three stars to suddenly flushed with more 3-and-D role players than any team in the NBA, albeit without a star to complement — unless Cam Thomas keeps scoring 40 points per game (can’t rule it out).”
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