Report: Brooklyn Nets Reject Shocking Trade Haul for Mikal Bridges
There was no team in the NBA that had to endure more pressure than the Brooklyn Nets during the NBA Trade Deadline. When the dust settled, an interesting report was revealed.
The Nets declined to flip both Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith for additional first-round picks to pile into their rebuilding foundation. One team, that has been rumored to be the Memphis Grizzlies, offered a whopping four first-round picks for Bridges. All of the four first-round picks were expected to be unprotected.
In the offer for Finney-Smith, a coveted 3-and-D wing on a team-friendly deal, one team presented an offer of two first-round picks. It's unclear what the status or years of the two first-round picks were and what team rang the Nets' phone at that time.
Of course, those offers will likely be still present in the off-season but there's a much bigger takeaway to the decisions. The two rejections clearly signal the direction the new-look Nets are heading in. Although the organization lost its two cornerstones Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the front office does not see the need to completely scrap the roster and focus on rebuilding through the NBA Draft.
That approach does make a lot of sense for Brooklyn considering the draft capital lost in the James Harden trade - three first-round picks (2022, 2024, 2026), and four first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027) - to the Houston Rockets and the draft capital received in return for Irving and Durant.
At the deadline, the Nets received a total of five unprotected first-round picks, two second-round picks, and one pick swap with the Phoenix Suns.
Overall, Brooklyn still believes internally that the team post-deadline is a playoff-caliber team. The organization has no interest in going through a full rebuild and instead building around the current roster constructed.
