Houston offered "several" Nets picks to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges

Apparently the Rockets

 

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I gotta say, I like Bridges. There is a huge anchoring bias going on in the media regarding Bridges and the Rockets.

I typically like a lot of Vecenie's takes, but he had something similar in the podcast feed this morning. He's lower on Tari and Amen than me, but higher on Jabari. He suggested Tari, salary filler, No. 3, and the 26 pick for Bridges in the latest Game Theory podcast. I get that the Bird rights to max players are worth a lot because those players tend to be worth a lot more than the max. Bridges...they aren't worth much. 2 years of Bridges is not the No.3 pick and ~50% chance of being Top 4 in a great draft worth more than 2 more years of Tari on an even better contract and Tari's RFA rights.

 

I like bridges too, but as you said, it’s only 2yrs of Bridges. I can stomach giving up #3, but I just can’t add in 25’ & 26’, again for just two years. I don’t buy Brooklyn crawling out of the lottery next year as likely. I don’t think they are dumb enough to go all in on a trade with their Suns’ picks. They know they aren’t close to contending; certainly not a trade away from contending.

the way I see it, we hold all the cards and should not be desperate to make a deal for bridges. If we want a near-term upgrade, move #3 for a good player (or even Jalen, who has a $30 mil cap hold and is about to command money he hasn’t earned), but I feel very comfortable holding onto those Nets’ picks for the next two really good drafts.

 

That's too much. The 26 pick is slated to be a high draft pick thanks to the Nets fumbling over and over again. So we're talking Tari Eason + Reed Sheppard + someone in the Boozer draft for Mikal Bridges? If I was a betting man, I'd bet that one of those three players turns out to be a better player than Mikal Bridges. And here's the rub....the Rockets aren't a Mikal Bridges away from being a contender. They are a "one of our dudes needs to solidify himself as a Top 10 player in the league" away from being a contender. Unless Bridges is that....the Nets can get bent. What does he offer that moves the needle for the Rockets? Being a better offensive player than Dillon Brooks and a different defender? We have dudes that can do what Bridges does defensively. Tari Eason is probably better at that than Mikal Bridges is right now.

The pendulum is swinging a bit to people overrating Bridges again. He isn't worth Tari Eason + Reed Sheppard. Let alone anything on top of that. The Rockets with Tari in the mold last year were probably a playoff team. Now we are going forward a year, Jalen probably will be a bit more consistent, Jabari definitely will be, Amen will have a full offseason as will Cam...Sengun is Sengun...it's a no from me dawg. The timelines don't work. Bridges needs to go to a team with a certified Top 10 1A player. Like Minnesota would be a good fit. Knicks would be a good fit. They already have their dude. We don't. Bridges doesn't change the trajectory of this team *at all*.

 

I think it’s a lot of posturing by the Nets. Mikal Bridges with two years left on his contract is not worth three firsts. They know it and Stone knows it. His entire pursuit of Bridges is based on the leverage he has by owning their picks. At the time the original deal was offered, Jalen was on the verge of getting benched and their pick looked like it would be around #10. Since then, Jalen went on a tear and led the team to a month long winning streak while Bridges ended with a down year and their pick ended up #3. The Nets would be lucky if the original offer was still on the table.

I could see Bridges fitting with a team like the Knicks and they have a ton of picks to offer. Let’s say they get three picks from NY. They are very likely to all be mid-20s picks. Would they be better off with those three picks along with three picks from Phoenix (two due while KD is still under contract) or the #3 and their own three future picks which would allow them more maneuverability and control?

If this were actually on the table, I can’t see how the Nets haven’t already snatched it up.

 

Let the season start and he'll continue to tank his value more until they they trade him. Nets have no leverage.

 

What I don’t see mentioned often or at all is it’s a catch 22. I don’t want to lose next years swap with the nets almost under any circumstances.

If you trade for Bridges though that increases the chance that it’s at minimum probably a top 7-8 pick. Why would they give Bridges if they don’t get that. The thing is Bridges is not worth a 3rd overall pick plus a player plus next years pick. So it is dead in the water as far as I’m concerned.

Someone did mention that it could be distraction ploy. As in the Rockets are just entertaining the notion and wasting the nets time.

Picking Reed this year and say a defensive player in the draft next year top 10 could give the Rockets a tremendous amount of options.

trade either Sengun or Green next year with the last Nets pick and swap, 2-3 rockets first round picks for a star at the time when Jabari/Eason/Amen are entering their primes.

Star
Either Sengun or Green
Amen
Tari
Jabari
Cam
2024 pick Reed?
2025 pick top defensive player in draft (someone like Clingan or Castle this draft)

That’s 8 players deep while able to get hopefully everyone on a contract for 4 years.

F the Brooklyn Nets***

 

The Nets need to rebuild. They aren't getting the 25 or 26 picks back for Bridges. The teams likely to be among the 10 worst teams aren't trading picks in 25 or 26 for Bridges. Unless the slim chance that a team gives them a star while asking little in return, the best thing for the Nets is to deal Bridges for draft capital before he eats up even more of his trade value.

 

They can't add any free agent of consequence until next summer when Simmons comes off their books. At that point, Bridges will have only one year left. They are either going to have to trade him or extend him. I assume they will already have Claxton and Shroeder secured, too. The next summer they are also going to have to extend Cam Thomas. They are really giving themselves a small window to add a real difference maker. Phoenix isn't going to win a championship, but Booker, KD and Beal are locked in, so that is going to be a very competitive team that's going to produce mid-20 picks for a few years. They are apparently just going to ride it out and depend on that 2029 PHX pick to bail them out?

 

All this is true. The other element to consider is timing.

Seems obvious Donovan Mitchell is staying in Cleveland. But he can't actually extend until July 1, so Brooklyn will want to keep their options open until then and not make any moves.

The problem is that the draft is June 26. The #3 pick will have already been made by July 1, without Brooklyn's input or any scouting/interviews/workouts taking place. This makes #3 being then traded to Brooklyn extremely unlikely.

Then more veteran extensions will be happening left and right in quick succession. Every significant veteran extension closes off a 2025 FA option for Brooklyn AND takes a 2024 trade option off the table.

By the end of this summer, all the star 2025 FA's are most likely extended. That's the way the NBA works now. The best UFA's in 2025 will probably be Naz Reid and Alex Caruso.

Brooklyn is really screwed. IMO their best bet is to capitulate sooner rather than later because the corner they've painted themselves is getting smaller every day.

 

I believe they will be a very bad team sooner than you think - KD has never been one to stay in a bad situation & Beal has injury issues playing not playing more than 60 games for the last 5 years.
KD has had his own injury issues .... much like Brooklyn with Kyrie being a threat to go flat earth at any moment and he did.

And it's not out of the realm of possibility for Booker to want out either - this could go bad for PHX in a hurry.

 

[Katz] Other teams have offered hoards of first-rounders; Brooklyn hasn’t engaged. According to league sources, Brooklyn’s front office has told teams it views Bridges as a costar to whichever big name it can trade for down the line.

That’s the organization’s long-term plan — though all it takes for the blueprint to change is one hint from Bridges that he wouldn’t re-sign in a couple of seasons.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5562703/2024/06/14/knicks-trade-stars-offseason/

 

A co-star? Is Sean Marks ok? Did he hit his head or something?

Bridges is a 3rd option type of player

the rest of the world sees a nice Toyota Camry, he sees

 

Here we go

 

Delusional

 

Delusional

 

Sean Marks Rafael Stone

Viewing Bridges as a co-star ​

 

If the Net like Bridges so much, then they are doing the prudent thing and keeping him. Good for them if that is the case!

I think a lot of fans think the Nets are posturing, since they do not have cap space, many assets, or draft picks to build upon the team. This might be one of the only ways to keep fans engaged and wondering about the Nets

 

Either these reports are complete BS or it meant Brooklyn's Suns picks were going back in the deal also.