NBA Rumors: Nets' Intent is to Build Around Mikal Bridges, Not Trade SF

Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges is one of the rising young stars in the NBA, and the team reportedly has no plans on giving him up at this season's trade deadline.

When asked by a fan on Threads if the Nets would consider trading Bridges, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski responded, "I believe Brooklyn's intent remains to build and add talent around" the swingman.

Bridges has started all 34 games for the Nets and is averaging 20.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He hasn't looked like the offensive dynamo he was when Brooklyn acquired him from the Phoenix Suns at last season's trade deadline as part of the blockbuster deal for Kevin Durant, as he averaged a career-high 26.1 points across 27 games. However, he is still one of the top two-way players in the league thanks to his exceptional defense on the wing.

Despite Bridges' individual brilliance, the Nets sit ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 15-19 record. Brooklyn has lost nine of its last 11 games and is on a four-game losing streak heading into Wednesday's matchup against the Houston Rockets.

Besides Bridges, Cam Thomas is the only other player on the Nets who averages over 20 points at 21.5 ppg. However, the two of them have struggled to find a balance where they're both dominating together, and Bridges admitted late last month that they're still trying to get on the same page.

"That was kind of biggest thing and that's what I was frustrated about personally," he said at the time, "just me struggling and when [Thomas] is having big games and [I'm] not helping him because I just know it'd be tough if we're scoring on offense pretty well and efficient, we'd be tough to beat."

That has yet to come to fruition, so it's clear that the Nets need more pieces around Bridges if they hope to be successful in the competitive Eastern Conference.