After Memphis received a blockbuster haul of future draft assets from Orlando in its Desmond Bane trade, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) considers how that could impact the haul a potential Cameron Johnson trade could earn the Nets.
The 29-year-old forward, a solid two-way player if never an All-Star, remains in his athletic prime. He’s already proven that he can be a starter on a great team, as he fulfilled that role on the NBA Finals-bound 2021 Suns. He’s got two years and a very reasonable $44.2MM remaining on his current deal.
In 57 healthy games for Brooklyn this past season, the 6’8″ pro averaged 18.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.4 APG. He posted a slash line of .475/.390/.893.
NBA sources have often informed Lewis that the 2025 offseason is expected to be incredibly active, and that they expect Brooklyn to be heavily involved.
There’s more out of Brooklyn:
Although Lewis tweets that he anticipates the Nets will explore ditching veteran salaries and getting involved in three-team trades. Lewis has been informed that Brooklyn is also being floated in conversations about trades that the team has nothing to do with, but notes that this is “predictable gamesmanship” in the offseason.
The Nets’ name has been thrown around in the trade rumor mill so often, C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News opted to take stock. Holmes believes it’s quite possible Brooklyn gets involved as a third team to help facilitate a Kevin Durant trade out of Phoenix and to another club, but is skeptical the Nets will trade to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee.
Although Rutgers wing Ace Bailey initially seemed to be out of reach for the Nets at the No. 8 pick, his recent refusal to work out for anyone seems to presage a drop in this year’s draft. Net Income of Nets Daily wonders if Brooklyn would trade up to catch the 18-year-old as he descends out of the top three picks — but perhaps not out of the top five.