Should Brooklyn Nets Offload more than Dennis Schroder?

Brooklyn has dealt a talented guard. But should it keep its foot on the gas?

Dec 8, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) reacts during the second half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

On Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets made their first official trade of the season, dealing starting guard Dennis Smith Jr. to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Anthony Melton and more second round picks than it sent.

The deal made plenty of sense of Brooklyn’s end. The team signed Schroder just a season ago, and made out with an expiring contract and two extra second round picks.

Even better, the Nets are now set to lose 18.4 points, 6.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, a necessity given it desperately needs to offload talent in order to land top 2025 NBA Draft picks.

As it stands now, Brooklyn sits at No. 10 in the Eastern Conference. While that doesn’t necessarily make them world-beaters, it likely won’t grant them a top three-to-five selection, which the organization is hoping for in a fresh rebuild.

The Nets will certainly be a worst product without Schroder, but do they need to do even more in order to relegate themselves further? All signs point to yes.

Players like Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith and more would likely see to it they continue to win games here and there. And while they don’t need to offload all of those, they’ll certainly need to trade a few.

Johnson is the obvious candidate to go next. He’s seen a breakout year, and could help any number of contending teams with shooting, defense, clean passing and more. Claxton could help teams, but likely remains coveted by the organization. And Finney-Smith has likely already been asked on a number of times as a malleable player.

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