Brooklyn Nets Trade Talk: Play or Go Away? - The Assets
The All-Star weekend is over and it is now time for the Brooklyn Nets trade talk to heat up.
Boy, has it heated up in the past 48 hours. Brooklyn’s Finest reported earlier this week that there were rumblings that the Toronto Raptors were trying to make a deal with the Nets for Thaddeus Young.
It seems that it is not just rumblings anymore. This rumor is starting to gain some traction.
Check out what Frank Isola of the New York Daily News has to say about the Brooklyn Nets trade talk situation…
“One scenario has Young being moved to Toronto for a package that could include Patrick Patterson and point guard Delon Wright. The Nets may want a first round pick and Toronto just happens to own the Knicks first round pick.”
Remember what Brian Windhorst of ESPN said earlier this week…
“I think they’re going to go for it. I think from what I understand, from what I’m hearing, they’re pretty aggressive in the trade market. They’re looking for power forwards. I’ve heard them attached to Thaddeus Young. I’ve heard them attached to (Nuggets forward) Kenneth Faried. I’ve heard them attached to (Suns forward) Markieff Morris. They have extra draft picks. I wouldn’t trade that New York Knicks pick unless it was for a blockbuster acquisition, because you can’t protect it, you can’t protect another team’s pick. I would do it if I could put, like, a top five protection on it. But you can’t do that. You can’t say all right, we’ll give you two of our picks if it falls in the top five. But they have the assets to do it. They have some young players.”
Now check out what ESPN’s Marc Stein reported shortly after…
“The Raptors, sources say have had exploratory discussions to gauge the possibility of acquiring Denver’s Kenneth Faried, Brooklyn’s Thaddeus Young and the Phoenix duo of Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker.”
Now finally Bradford Doolittle of ESPN thought up some Brooklyn Nets trade talk scenarios that would help out the Brooklyn Nets. Let’s check those out…
“Brook Lopez for Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams of the Bucks, both of whom have been disappointing; Marcus Smart, David Lee and a pick, but not a Nets pick of the Celtics; Hassan Whiteside and maybe someone else: or Young for Patrick Patterson, Delon Wright or another of the Raptors roster.”
Bradford Doolittle has some great options here that make a lot of sense. It’s a shame that more likely that they will be ignored because…
Mikhail Prokhorov is hell-bent on keeping Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez and there’s no one to talk him out of it because the Brooklyn Nets - all together now…
STILL DON’T HAVE A GENERAL MANAGER!
But Brooklyn’s Finest does not care at this point. We are taking over the Brooklyn Nets front office (in our minds) and we’re taking over the decision making here. It’s time for a little Russian Roulette.
It’s time for…
Play or Go Away!
Thaddeus Young: Go Away!
Get mad if you want to, but this has to happen. If Thaddeus Young stays, he will be in the way in a couple of years just like Joe Johnson is now. Young represents the present. The present right now is 40 losses (and counting) and with nothing in the future in way of draft picks.
Chris McCollough and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson represent the future of the franchise and the type of style that Prokhorov wants the team to play. If the Raptors offer some players and a first-round pick, ESPECIALLY if it’s the New York Knicks’ high pick, pack Thaddeus Young’s bags and thank him for his services. Remember, he was traded last year for Kevin Garnett. If they can flip that trade for a stretch four in Patterson to come off the bench, a point guard in Delon Brooks, another player, and a first-round pick, the Nets are well on their way from being the front office laughingstock at the NBA meetings in the months ahead.
Plus, if the Nets get Patterson, he comes with a cheaper price tag. I’ve always said that Brooklyn overpaid Young in the offseason. Now that Thaddeus Young has played his value to the point that a contending team actually wants his services, it’s time to make a move and REALLY build a team like NBA commissioner Adam Silver told Mikhail Prokhorov to do.
It’s a shame that it should go down this way. It’s not every day that you meet a player that ACTUALLY wants to play in Brooklyn, but if he really cares about this franchise like he says, he’ll understand the trade.
Brook Lopez: Play!
I have heard a theory in the past covering NBA basketball and it always applies when you are building a team. You have to start with either a point guard or a center. Let’s check the Brooklyn Nets roster for a point guard (uh, nope).
I highly doubt that Brook Lopez is leaving town, at least not at the price that the Nets want. Remember, Brook Lopez was gone. He was good as traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Reggie Jackson, who had worn out his welcome and both sides were happy to separate from each other. Jackson wanted to start and some bum like the two-time reigning All-Star MVP named Russell Westbrook was the starter at the time.
The nerve of some people, huh?
The Brooklyn Nets were ready to make the deal. Lopez had played himself out of the starting lineup and was now behind Mason Plumlee. That’s right, Mason Plumlee. Lionel Hollins grew tired of the soft play and lack of rebounding that Lopez was bringing last year.
One problem: the Thunder didn’t want Lopez. Especially after Lopez refused to exercise his player option.
Brooklyn’s Finest had the report ready to go as soon as the deal went down. THAT’S how close the deal was to be done. All we had to do is hit publish. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded Reggie Jackson to the Detroit Pistons in a three team deal that landed Enes Kanter.
Check out the quote from Thunder GM Sam Presti last year courtesy of ESPN.com…
“It’s a rare opportunity to acquire a player like Enes who will be an added dimension to our frontcourt and has his best basketball in front of him.”
Kanter has been in and out of the starting lineup ever since sharing time with Steven Adams in the post. If Lopez really wanted out, Lopez could and would have made it happen.
I don’t see Lopez leaving and the Nets can’t afford to let him leave unless they get a mother lode of assets for him. If the Thunder wouldn’t take him even with the player option situation so they could get rid of a malcontent like Reggie Jackson, it stands to reason teams are not going to push all of their chips in to land Lopez.
I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
Lopez’s style of play will hurt the way the Nets want to play in the future, which will be uptempo. The man can score but his defense is soft, his passing needs to improve, and his pick-and-roll defense is atrocious.
However…
It is difficult to trade a guy that is tenth in games, seventh in minutes played, sixth in rebounds, second in blocks and rebounds, and fourth in career points. Granted not a lot of players actually stay with the franchise but this has to count for something.
Keep it locked to Brooklyn’s Finest for the rest of the roster leading up to the NBA trading deadline Thursday at 3:00 pm.
