Nets Trade Predictions Ahead of Thursday's Deadline
The Brooklyn Nets already rocked the NBA world once by sending Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks and bringing back Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a first-round pick.
Brooklyn could broker more landscape-shifters ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
The Nets need to keep wheeling and dealing, especially if they want to keep Kevin Durant happy.
So, what could be in the cards next for Brooklyn? I'm glad you asked, since I just so happen to be here to provide a trio of deadline predictions.
Kevin Durant Goes Nowhere
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Might as well start off by addressing the nearly 7'0" tall, Hall-of-Fame-bound elephant in the room, right?
Yes, Durant is a matter of months removed from requesting his own ticket out of Brooklyn, and you bet trade machines will get worn out over the next few days with a litany of Durant-focused megatrades.
Perhaps the perennial MVP candidate has simply seen enough, but look at the package Brooklyn took back for Irving. Rather than gathering up as many future-focused assets as possible—and those types of offers were on the table—the Nets instead landed a pair of plug-and-play starters. And while they nabbed a few draft picks in the process, they could easily opt to ship them out for additional win-now talent.
Unless Durant issues a deal-me-or-I'm-sitting demand (as Irving did), then all talks of a Durant deal are nothing more than the daydreams of star-gazing franchises. If the Nets even consider a Durant-less future, it's hard to imagine them putting those wheels in motion before the offseason at the earliest.
Brooklyn Will Swap Perimeter Depth for Size
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The Nets have a glut of score-first perimeter players and a severe size shortage. Swapping out Irving for Dinwiddie does nothing to change that.
A deadline deal absolutely could, though—and it should.
Just about any scoring guard on the roster should be up for grabs. Even Dinwiddie could be dangled in a deal, per Marc Stein. Put Seth Curry and Patty Mills on that same list, and maybe even Cam Thomas, too, if the return is rich enough.
Nic Claxton has been incredible this season, but his 6'11", 215-pound frame only offers so much resistance against front-line bruisers like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić. Ben Simmons is unreliable and probably unplayable late in playoff games because of his free-throw shooting woes and lack of aggression on offense. Day'Ron Sharpe, the team's biggest player at 6'11" and 265 pounds, has shown nothing to suggest he's ready for regular playing time.
Nets Will Offer Everything They Can to the Raptors
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Judgment day is quickly approaching the Toronto Raptors.
They have from now until Thursday's deadline to decide whether they're buying, selling or holding. This debate could easily come down to the wire, as Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer previously reported Toronto has been informing teams it plans to "wait until the final hours" to make that call.
Should the Raptors opt to reset around reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, they could immediately flood the market with potential difference-makers. The Nets might be in on all of them, though O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam stand out above the other targets.
Anunoby and Siakam are both two-way players who would up Brooklyn's defensive resistance, offensive firepower and overall versatility. Pairing either one with Durant and whatever the Nets can keep out of the deal could be Brooklyn's key in unlocking a post-Irving path to the championship podium and convincing Durant there is no better place for his future.
