A new NBA rumor seems to suggest the Brooklyn Nets are hoping a specific Eastern Conference contender fails miserably in the playoffs so they can potentially trade for their top star this summer.
To the surprise of no one, the Nets have had another disappointing season. The organization furthered their rebuild in the summer when their most notable move was trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for five first-round draft picks, a first-round pick swap, and a second-round selection. It was the latest step in a reimagining of the roster that began with trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving two years ago.
However, this summer could finally bring the early stages of having a competitive team again. The Nets will enter the summer with the most cap space in the league with a whopping $91 million (via Spotrac). Yet, the free-agent market is not expected to be filled with elite talents. That is why if the organization makes a big move, it will be on the trade market.
Along with the cap space, Brooklyn also has the draft assets to get any deal done with 11 first-round picks through 2030. And it seems the team’s Plan A, B, and C is one specific player, according to New York Post NBA reporter Brian Lewis.
Brooklyn Nets still hoping Giannis Antetokounmpo asks out of Milwaukee?
This week, Lewis claimed that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo “has been and remains Plan A” for the organization. General manager Sean Marks is allegedly so set on trying to get the nine-time All-Star that Lewis claims it would take him being traded elsewhere for him to divert from his plan and pivot to a new strategy.
Antetokounmpo has suggested recently that he wants to end his career with the Bucks. But rumors have persisted for years that he does not want to waste the prime years of his career on an underachieving team. After winning a championship in 2021, the team has reached the playoffs every season. But suffered first-round ousters the last two years.
It is not at all impossible that the Bucks will disappoint again this spring and will be out early again. The Brooklyn Nets will certainly be hoping for that. That sort of result could certainly make the future Hall-of-Famer look differently at his future in Milwaukee. But it could also make the organization rethink its long-term plans.
After firing two head coaches, if things don’t work with Doc Rivers, Jon Horst could see the opportunity to land seven to eight first round picks in an Antetokounmpo trade as a chance to overhaul the team, and on the cheap.