It’s no secret that the Brooklyn Nets are deep in the middle of a rebuild unlike anything the league has seen.
After using five first-round picks in this year’s draft—the most by any team in NBA history—only two have seen consistent playing time. Cam Thomas, who re-signed on a one-year, $5.9 million deal, remains sidelined for another 2–3 weeks. And after trading away Cam Johnson in exchange for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick, it feels as though the Nets are still searching for a definitive long-term vision.
Now sitting at 3–14 in the Eastern Conference with no clear intention of competing for a championship in the near future, Brooklyn appears years away from shaping its final roster.
Bleacher Report’s Trade Block Big Board predicted that the Nets could look to flip Porter Jr. for a package consisting of a 2026 first-round pick, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, and NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga.
On paper, the deal is actually enticing for Brooklyn’s front office. Considering the deteriorating relationship between Kuminga and the Golden State Warriors, it seems increasingly unlikely the two sides will ever find a path that elevates both. Kuminga would not only become the star of the Nets—his original goal when entering the league—but would also be surrounded by a young core and given a leadership role similar to what the team envisioned for Porter Jr.
While Kuminga doesn’t have Porter Jr.’s elite shooting ability, he is four years younger, significantly more explosive, and a fearless attacker at the rim—attributes that could prove valuable to Brooklyn’s rebuild. Meanwhile, the addition of Hield provides much-needed three-point shooting, and Moody adds versatility as a two-way guard.
As for the Warriors, they would absorb another sizable contract but finally surround Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green with a dependable scoring threat on the wing.
If the Nets ultimately pull the trigger on this deal, it would align perfectly with the trajectory of their current rebuild.
More Nets news: