The Brooklyn Nets executed the first trade of the NBA season, sending Dennis Schröder and a future second-round pick to Golden State in exchange for De’Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman, and three future seconds. I was surprised that some of the fanbase focused on the trade return rather than the true value of the move.
The Brooklyn Nets just took away arguably the most important player on their roster this season. The team has been markedly better with Schröder on the court, but the impact of his absence will be even more substantial
We of course assume that more trades are coming with Cam Johnson as a highly sought-after piece for several contending teams.
Dorian Finney-Smith has also carried himself well through 25 games and should be able to further bolster the Net’s draft assets. Combined, the Nets are likely to see over 90 minutes and 40 points per game stripped off the roster in a matter of weeks(or days).
The silver lining of watching your franchise operate like a chop-shop of supporting NBA parts is re-focusing the attention on the long-term goals for the Nets organization. The Nets currently have a 20.3% shot at a top-4 pick and a. 4.5% chance at the number-one spot in the next draft.
Washington set their agenda from game one and is unlikely to concede the first overall pick over the next 58 games of their season. From two through eight, however, are a collection of teams worth watching closely as the trade rumors swirl.
The Pelican’s injury woes will likely push them into a rebuild, while teams like Charlotte and Portland are just bad somewhat regardless of intention.
Interesting rosters like Utah and Toronto will certainly not be buyers but also have enough young “core talent” to make winning a few extra games acceptable.
Philadelphia is certainly a case study of what happens with veteran talent and injuries collide, along with Detroit and their “darn it we can be good!” attitude, are the other notable teams ahead of Brooklyn.
None of them can, or at a minimum will be likely to sell off as much as the Nets can in via trades. Even better for Brooklyn, is that if they continue to be proactive and early on the market, it can mean Brooklyn does more losing faster than other top draft pick teams.
To be clear, it is a bummer to discuss the “positives” of being bad. But these are the rules of the NBA, you don’t have to like them to want your team to use them to their full advantage.
The Brooklyn Nets, without Dennis Schröder, will take on the Cleveland Cavs on Monday night. Across the following nine games, they will see four against teams above them in the draft, along with the Magic and Bucks(x2).
We have consistently said that Jordi Fernandez is not going to coach like a team on the tank, but the Schröder trade alone could find Brooklyn 12-23 and “surging” down the standings in the weeks ahead.
For more insights and a deeper dive into the Brooklyn Nets’ trade strategies and potential moves, tune into the Locked On Nets podcast for this and much more.
