Brooklyn Nets to Enter Likely Rebuild Following Trade with Knicks, Rockets

Brooklyn has officially shipped off its best player in Mikal Bridges for a slew of draft picks.

Mar 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) warms up prior to the game against the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets finally and officially offloaded their top player late Tuesday, trading wing Mikal Bridges to the crosstown rival New York Knicks in exchange for a swath of future draft picks.

Bridges — fresh off one of his best seasons, averaging nearly 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists — is sure to assist the Knicks' hopeful title run next season.

His trading is a likely signal that Brooklyn will be moving away from its win-now mindset, which was widely speculated with the addition of head coach Jordi Fernandez. Brooklyn also made a deal with Houston to return the teams future firsts, a massive domino that could push towards a youth-movement. The team sent its future Suns' selections in return for their own picks.

With the Cavaliers likely to retain Donovan Mitchell's talents, the Nets might've finally decided to go for a rebuild, off-loading their best win now asset for draft selectsions. Those assets include four unprotected first round picks, a protected first via the Bucks, an unprotected pick swap and a second rounder in addition to Bojan Bogdanovic.

The team will continue to have cap space necessary to sign players in the off-season, but will likely look to position itself to add young up-and-coming talent rather than win-now stars and rotational pieces.

That likely begins with the 2024 NBA Draft, where the Nets don't currently own a pick, but could soon with its new bundle of assets.

It likely won't be hard to trade into this year's draft, as it doesn't have a sparkling reputation as one of the best in the last few years.

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