Brooklyn Nets Control Their Own Destiny Follow Pair of Trades

The Nets can now properly rebuild their roster.

Apr 10, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) addresses the fans before the team's final home game against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets have no first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but were the center of attention the night before the event.

In two separate trades, the Nets sent Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks and also re-acquired their own future first-round selections from the Houston Rockets. At the surface, these moves certainly make the Nets much less competitive for the upcoming season. But Brooklyn now has the chance to actually control its own destiny as the roster looks to be reconstructed.

Before the swap of picks with the Houston Rockets, the Nets didn't have many of their own future first-round selections, including for the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft which will feature Cooper Flagg. The biggest part of the deal with the Rockets is that Houston relinquished its swap rights in 2025, which allows the Nets to use their own pick next summer. That means the team can truly bottom out if they prefer and can actually see the benefits of having a shot at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Before this deal, Brooklyn wasn't able to gain value out of being a bottom team, which put pressure on the front office to be competitive more quickly and build around Bridges.

That's now all changed, as the Nets can go in any direction they would like. If Brooklyn wants to completely rebuild, that's now an option. If the Nets want to use this new stash of draft capital from the Knicks to acquire a new cornerstone piece, that's also now a possibility.

Furthermore, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac, the Nets are also projected to have between $70 and $80 million in cap space next summer as the roster stands today. That would be a huge opportunity to sign a big name or add several key rotational pieces. Whether the Nets want to build slowly or make this a quick re-tool, the pathways are all there.

In short, these two trades the night before the 2024 NBA Draft were extremely important in allowing the Nets to control their own destiny moving forward.

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