Brooklyn Nets: Looking Back at the Mikal Bridges, Jalen Green Trade Offer

The Houston Rockets reportedly offered the Brooklyn Nets Jalen Green and multiple first round draft picks.

It’s no secret that the Brooklyn Nets could have acquired Jalen Green, who happened to be rejuvenated in the second half of the regular season.

Let’s not forget. According to Shams Charania of the Athletic,  “the Rockets called the Nets on Mikal Bridges and I’m told they discussed a concept around Jalen Green and multiple first-round picks. That deal was not accepted by the Nets.” The possibility of landing back Brooklyn's own 2024 first was already enticing, but the potential backcourt of 22-year-olds Green and Cam Thomas was even more so.

Since the trade deadline passed, Green went on an absolute tear in the second half of the season. The Rockets guard averaged 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists after the All-Star break this season. He notably dropped more than 30 points on five different occasions after the break to go along with one 42-point game. For the season, Green shot 42% from the field and 33% from three in just his third season. His contributions to 41 wins in the tougher conference is very impressive. Green’s defense is not yet up to par with Bridges’, but it could only get better from here on out.

As for Bridges after the All-Star break, his season took a similar trajectory to the Nets playoff aspirations. Bridges averaged just 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 28 games after the All-Star Game.

It was the total opposite of his second half of the season form from last year. All in all, Bridges regressed from the groove he found last season playing for Brooklyn. Taking into consideration the groove the Nets star was in last year for this team in addition to his first half of the season form this season, it’s somewhat fair to say that was enough promise to show Marks that he would only continue to improve on his offensive production moving forward in which he didn’t. His 2023-24 campaign is nowhere close to his 2022-23 campaign with the Nets.

If we factor in this on top of the multiple first-round draft picks the Rockets were willing to trade to the Nets for Bridges, the tandem of the consistent Green and Thomas backcourt will always remain a what if.

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