The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of a horrible season and will not have a first-round pick to show for it because of poor moves made in previous seasons. Despite the lack of wins, or assets on the roster, owner Mikhail Prokhorov does not want to change the roster, as he believes he has two legitimate building blocks in the front court in Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young.
Despite his hesitancy to trade either player, it is probably in the best interest of the organization to move at least one, if not both, to try and restock the roster with some young players and assets. Both players have reportedly been garnering interest on the trade market, so there are offers for the Nets out there to improve the long-term outlook of the team. If this season is any indication, the combination of Young and Lopez is not bringing many positive results, as the Nets have only 14 wins despite their efforts.
There have been rumors swirling about Young headed to the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors, as both teams look to solidify their playoff chances with the rugged power forward. The Pistons rumor was shot down, the Raptors are in the market for an upgrade at power forward, and Young is on their radar.
Because of that, ESPN has the Nets involved in a hypothetical trade that should be completed by the deadline on Thursday, with the Raptors being the landing spot. Here is the trade and what Bradford Doolittle, who proposed it, has to say about it:
"While in theory I don’t think Brooklyn should make any deals without a permanent GM in place, I think this is one that the new guy would want to make anyway. In any case, the Nets’ best strategy is to move their best players now for multiple pieces to help them rebuild.In Patterson and Wright, they would receive two former first-rounders who could get big minutes the next couple of years as things get sorted out. Toronto would want to get this deal done with their own first-round pick (in the No. 25 range), but the Nets might insist on the lottery pick the Raptors are holding (the lesser of the Nuggets’ and Knicks’ first-round picks).As for the Raptors, they need to upgrade the 4 to really mount a challenge to Cleveland. Young would be perfectly cast as the fourth-best player on a contending team."
While Prokhorov has been steadfast in not wanting to go for a full rebuild, this would be a tough trade for the Nets to turn down. Patterson is on one of the league’s most team friendly deals and would step right into the starting lineup as a stretch-four compliment to Lopez. Wright would give the Nets a young piece at point guard, which has been a wasteland this season with Deron Williams sent packing and Jarrett Jack going down with injury.
With poor trades in past seasons leaving the Nets without much in the way of draft picks, they would enjoy having one even if it comes after the lottery, giving them a chance to add another young building block to their roster.
Related Story: Is Prokhorov Opposed To A Rebuild?
As Doolittle says, the Raptors are in position to go for it this season, and Young would help them get that goal. The Cavaliers are the kings of the Eastern Conference, and knocking them off will not be an easy task; Young would help get the Raptors closer to accomplishing that feat.