Coming into the 2024 NBA offseason, Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks had a major decision to make. Would the team attempt to retool the roster around its best player, forward Mikal Bridgers? Or would they opt for a total reset and teardown?
To the surprise of some people, the Brooklyn Nets opted for the latter. On Tuesday night, less than 24 hours before the 2024 NBA Draft was set to start, they completed two huge trades.
The first was centered around Bridges. He was traded to the New York Knicks, reuniting with his collegiate teammates from Villanova, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo.
It was clear that the Brooklyn Nets had decided they wanted to go the rebuilding route with the package they received. The only player heading back to the Nets is Bojan Bogdanovic. Along with him, the Nets are receiving unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031 from the Knicks.
A protected first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks in 2025 is also heading to Brooklyn, along with an unprotected 2028 pick swap. The Nets are also getting back a second-round pick of their own that the Knicks owned in 2025.
Moments after the trade with the Knicks was announced, it was revealed that the Brooklyn Nets were working on a deal with the Houston Rockets. This one was focused solely on draft picks, as no players were involved.
Brooklyn’s goal was to get their own selections back from the James Harden trade. Going into a teardown, they want to own their selections that will likely be near the top of the draft. Their 2024 first-round pick, which the Rockets own, landed at No. 3.
To make that happen, the Nets are trading a 2025 Phoenix Suns pick swap, a 2027 Suns first-rounder, a second first-round pick and a swap in 2029 to Houston. In exchange, they are getting back their own 2025 and 2026 first-round picks.
The Brooklyn Nets now have 16 first-round picks available through 2031, as they made their intentions clear. They are going into a rebuild phase, but given how many assets they have compiled, they may not be down for very long.
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