Mock Trade: Nets Deal Veteran Forward to Familiar Trade Partner

The Brooklyn Nets have two players that multiple teams around the league are interested in as trade season approaches. Aside from Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Day'Ron Sharpe are two players expected to be moved before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

One team that could emerge as a suitor for Finney-Smith, in particular, is the Phoenix Suns. Hovering around .500 as of late, the Suns are looking to add help to the core of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Acquiring Durant and Beal put Phoenix over the second apron, and with Beal's no-trade clause, the Suns are inclined to try to win now with their talent.

Despite Phoenix's salary cap disparities, a deal between the Suns and Nets can be done. Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen are the most realistic candidates to end up in a trade, but it doesn't just have to be swapped for Finney-Smith. Brooklyn can get interesting and bring back even more capital if they include Sharpe in a deal to give Phoenix a center.

Suns receive: Dorian Finney-Smith, Day'Ron Sharpe

Nets receive: Jusuf Nurkic, Bol Bol, 2026 first-round pick (WAS, ORL, or MEM holds rights to swap), 2026 second-round pick

To get it out of the way, it seems like the NBA community has moved past the Bol Bol hype from years ago. While it's clear that he isn't the player many thought he would be, the 25-year-old is still an enticing piece to have, barely fitting the Nets' timeline. He's the relatively 'young' player Brooklyn would ideally want back in a trade.

Nurkic is a salary filler and can either be bought out or moved in a secondary trade following this one, but the Suns would be inclined to trade him as he's been a net negative in his time with the franchise. The real prizes are the picks in return.

The Nets would add to their already-lucrative stash of first-round picks with a 2026 first. Due to three teams having a chance to swap with Phoenix's pick, it's unknown where this would end up, but it would probably be toward the middle-to-end of the first round.

The 2026 second-round pick also adds to a nice stash, emphasized after the Nets traded Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors for three seconds. All in all, this trade is a positive for both sides, with Brooklyn going further into a rebuild.

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