After trading Mikal Bridges and getting their picks back from Houston, the tank is on and a few other Nets players could be on the move.
The Brooklyn Nets made it abundantly clear on Tuesday night that they are about to go tanking. After trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for five first round picks (plus some seconds) and Bojan Bogdanovic, they turned around and got control back of their own 2025 and 2026 picks from Houston by sending the Rockets some of the potentially highly valuable future Suns picks they got for Kevin Durant — Houston, per reports, wants to use those to get Durant or another star.
The lack of control over their own picks from the James Harden trade was the only thing preventing the Nets from considering bottoming out, but now that they’ve figured out how to get those picks back, it’s full steam ahead in a race to the bottom of the standings. That means a fire sale this summer, with some intriguing players still left on Brooklyn’s roster that figure to garner interest from around the league.
The question is how bare do the Nets want to leave the cupboard this year, but if the goal is to fully stock up on draft assets, at least three more trades should be on the horizon. Here, we’ll look at the teams that should be making a call about various Nets players, with an understanding that Brooklyn will be putting a premium on draft picks and young players with upside and some years left on their rookie deals.
The biggest name they have left to trade is Cam Johnson, as they can divest fully from the original KD trade and likely pick up another first round pick or two for the sharpshooting forward. His time in Brooklyn probably proved there is a ceiling on what his role should be on a good team, but there are plenty of contenders that could use a player like him in that kind of defined role that he thrived in with the Suns. Now, the Nets may not be in a rush to deal Johnson, as they could just as easily make him a focal point for the first half of the year and hope he raises his profile and value ahead of the trade deadline.
If they do make him available now, though, I’d guess there will be a lot of teams that call to inquire about him, because I think he’s intriguing for both contenders and younger teams hoping to take a leap forward next year. Remember, he’s about to enter the second year of a 4-year extension with about $68 million left on it, so he’d be a guy who can stick around for a bit.
The Grizzlies are constantly on the hunt for shooting and Johnson would also give them some more size at the forward position. Memphis would need to pick up Luke Kennard’s team option and send out a few of their young guys to make the money work, but with a pretty full chest of picks in the future, they could create an offer that would be intriguing for Brooklyn both in picks and young players.
We know the Thunder love size and shooting, and after the way last postseason went, they might be looking to consolidate some talent and add some more trusted playoff performers. While it’s been a couple years, Johnson was a reliable knockdown shooter in the postseason while in Phoenix (41.6 percent career in the playoffs) and could give OKC the kind of wing upgrade they’re looking for. We also know the Thunder have a ton of picks at their disposal and they could overpay compared to what other teams will offer, if they wanted, and not really dent their pick stash too much, especially after getting Alex Caruso without giving up any picks.
We don’t know how aggressive the Spurs will be in terms of making upgrades this summer, but Johnson is the type of wing that I would think makes a ton of sense next to Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs need more floor spacing and just general competency on defense, and Johnson would provide that.
