Can the Brooklyn Nets Outpace the Thunder? A Look at Future Assets and Draft Strategy

Can the Brooklyn Nets outbuild the Oklahoma City Thunder through smart trades and draft picks? We break down each team's assets and what it will take for Brooklyn to catch up.

Nov 9, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks speaks during a press conference before a game against the New York Knicks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

In ESPN's NBA draft asset rankings released on May 2, the Brooklyn Nets owned the number two spot just behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. While each squad is on opposite ends of the league's landscape, they share an abundance of future draft capital. The Thunder and GM Sam Presti have become synonymous with stacking picks, but the Nets have done nearly as well of a job replicating Oklahoma City's blueprint.

The Thunder have just one more incoming first-round pick than the Nets, resulting in the top spot. However, the Western Conference powerhouse doesn't have a single pick outright, as all are tied up in either protections or swap rights. Brooklyn—due to its massive haul from last summer's Mikal Bridges deal—has three unprotected New York Knicks picks on top of swap rights with either Phoenix or New York in 2028.

With a busy offseason projected to take place in Kings County, Marks could easily surpass Presti in the coming months.

Cam Johnson seems likely to be moved—a hypothetical transaction that would send one first-rounder at minimum back to the Nets. Depending on the package, Johnson could be worth two, a singular move that would give Brooklyn more total incoming first-round selections than Oklahoma City.

There's also been chatter about a link between Nic Claxton and the Los Angeles Lakers, another avenue Marks could utilize to add even more future assets.

Now, all of this becomes obselete if the Nets go star-hunting. Trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo or any of the other stars Brooklyn is rumored to be interested in would exhaust much of capital already in place. Owning a roster in need of an influx of talent, the Nets don't have the privelage of compounding young prospects to bring in a big name.

But in a scenario where Marks chooses to stick with the decision to tear down and build from within establish last year, he and Brooklyn are in a great position to outpace the Thunder. The short-term sucess may not extend beyond the top ranking in ESPN's next draft asset rankings, but the long-term benefit will be sustained success in an already-weakened Eastern Conference.