Rockets acquire Suns picks, return Nets picks to Brooklyn

I was planning on attending the draft thingy at George R Brown. I don't think I want to now.

 

They had leverage to still be a mid team. If Stone refuses they can stilk trade Bridges and use some of those picks to better their team like I already replied to you.

Not sure why you keep insisting this I even gave you concrete examples how Nets can better their team immediately for 2025 and 2026 using the assets from Bridges trade. It aint that hard to be a mid team.

 

False. They coulda still got the Knicks assets and considered their picks to us a sunk cost, just like we did with the picks we owe OKC. And they coulda used those assets to stay competitive.

 

I was referring to the Suns perceived value of the picks. But yes, we do,

 

I LITERALLY JUST SAW WOJ ON TV TEN MINUTES AGO SAYING THIS SAME **** AGAIN LOL Ya'll swear Stone isnt doing this **** but why else trade for the Suns picks lol Those Nets picks are insanely valuable unless you have what you think is a better plan IE trading those picks for something better than you can get in next years draft.

 

We see it very differently.

There are two options - first, ownership would not allow the Nets to tank without their draft picks back. This is the position taken by the Nets management in public. There are selfish reasons they may say this - including convincing the Rockets that the Nets picks would never be great because the Nets would never bottom out.

In this scenario, that means that the Nets could not trade Bridges - which is what Nets management has claimed as well. That is to say that they would put a star next to Bridges or hold onto what they have.

Bridges is a free agent after 2025 and there have been reports that he was not happy in NJ with the level of talent on the team. Indeed, he looked very disinterested the second half of last year and there have been reports he wanted to be traded. Someone in the media asked Stone about it and he said he had no idea if he did or did not want to be dealt.

The Nets GM himself said that there was no star available to trade for or sign. This isn't shocking as the Nets had the Suns assets but that was about it, and the competition for a star player is fierce with teams like Houston, OKC, Utah and others full of assets to trade.

So where does that leave the Nets if we are to assume that they really could not rebuild without their own picks?

They get to spend another year being at best bad but not terrible. They get to watch as Bridges gets another year closer to free agency and hope that they can keep him from demanding a trade. They also have to deal with Bridges wanting more than the 150% that the Nets could extend him for.

Their best bet, was another year from now to get a star player in free agency to pick playing with them and next to Bridges over other FAR better situations? Also, another year of the Nets having zero draft benefits from being bad.

Also - what star free agent are they going to get? Almost all of them are going to resign with their team. I guess they could target someone like a Brandon Ingram, but why would he choose NJ over other places?

That is NOT a good outlook at all.

The second option is that the Nets ownership never told Marks that he couldn't deal Bridges or rebuild without his picks, but Marks leaked the opposite in the hopes that he could convince the Rockets to trade back their picks because it was picks or bust for the Nets.

If this IS the case, then the Nets would be able to rebuild but they would get zero advantages hitting rock bottom from their own draft picks. They could still rebuild by trading guys like Bridges and Johnson and Claxton and dealing those Suns picks. The bad part would be rebuilding with one hand tied behind their back and seeing the Rockets benefit.

Still - in this scenario the Nets would not let assets like Bridges, Johnson and Claxton rot on the vine. In this scenario the Nets would trade Bridges for the 5-6 #1 picks they will end up getting, they will move Claxton for at least a solid #1 and Johnson for another.

This is also less than an ideal situation - in fact it isnt all that great.

So - what is the ONLY out? To get control of their draft picks back so that they can deal all their players for picks and they can tank and keep their own picks.

 

No - I am neutral when it comes to the Nets.

I too care about the Rockets asset base - which is why I believe the Rockets could have and should have gotten back more from the Nets.

I don't hate Stone or his decision to trade with the Nets, my issue is that I think he could have ended up with more because of the Nets circumstances.

 

PLEASE.

 

You are right but at the same time the trades he did make have been home runs like the Harden trade, the Sengun trade and the Whitmore trade.

Remember CF was clowning Stone saying we got nothing for Eric Gordon and we got Cam Whitmore from that trade. Did the CF posters here admit they were wrong? nah lol

 

I just think there is no basis for saying Stone could have gotten more without some insider saying so.

We arent privy to these discussions Presti only paid Giddey to get Caruso while Knicks paid 7 picks and swaps to get Bridges. Im pretty sure theres a lot of back and forth behind the scenes.

 

they can trade bridges while still making their team better that’s amazing. I never thought of that scenario

 

When youre worried about grammar you know you dont have a leg to stand. I dont care this is clutchfans im not at work fool lol

 

Yes you didnt thats why you said they had no leverage.

 

THEYRE SERVING BLIZZARDS!

 

The Rockets could have gotten more for Eric Gordon. They were offered two first round draft picks for Gordon and ended up settling for only one because they misplayed the market.

Just because it ended up being luck that that singular first rounder was used for Cam Whitmore doesn't mean anything other than luck.

I guess you could say it is better to be lucky than good.... Red Auerbach said that once - but long term, when you don't maximize trades it catches up to you.

Also - Stone has done a good job in the draft and he has made some good trades. He is a competent GM, I just don't think he is a great GM based on what I have seen at this point.

 

Any toppings?

 

We dont know the details of those two frps maybe they were from a shitty team like Boston. Like I said we dont have insider knowledge so its weird for me to see people keep saying we could have gotten more.

 

It is not that insane of an offer when all the picks they gave up should be in the mid 20's. Could Stone have gotten more? Maybe. However, he had to weigh losing the picks he had been trying to get since January. The Nets knew they had some leverage as well since Stone had been approaching them for 6 months. It isn't as if the Nets came up with this. Stone did. Now had the Nets come to Stone about picks he was ambivalent about then he could have said "Make it worth my while." Stone wanted those specific picks.