Brooklyn Nets: Brook Lopez Could Fix Lack Of Picks, Assets

If the Brooklyn Nets want to add assets, ESPN’s Micah Adams believes they should trade Brook Lopez.

The Brooklyn Nets are going nowhere this season. They currently hold the worst record in the NBA at 8-33, 3.5 games clear of the Miami Heat, owners of the second-worst record. To make matters worse for the Nets, they do not even own their 2017 first round pick.

That is because of a trade Billy King made. King, who was reassigned within the organization in January 2016, will be impacting the franchise for years to come. King facilitated a trade with the Celtics that saw Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, and James White land in Brooklyn.

The Nets would send five players, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans, Gerald Wallace, Kris Joseph, and Kris Humphries to the Celtics. The draft pick compensation is what will cause people to shake their heads in disbelief.

In addition to the five players, the Nets sent three unprotected first-round picks to Boston in 2014, 2016, and 2018. In the odd years in between the Celtics have the right to swap picks with the Nets since NBA rules do not allow a team to go into a draft without a first round pick for consecutive seasons.

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Taxes and death are two things that are guaranteed in life; you can add the Celtics swapping first round picks with the Nets this year to that short list. While the Nets toil in the cellar of the NBA, the Celtics have the seventh best record in the NBA, right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff picture behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As a result, the Nets will undoubtedly be picking somewhere in the early-mid 20’s come June. For a team as far away from contending as the Nets are that will just not cut it. But, that is what they have to deal with as the fallout from King’s gamble, which he lost.

The Nets have a long way to go in their rebuild; it is tough to rebuild without draft picks and young assets. That is what ESPN’s Micah Adams pinpointed as the biggest flaw for the Nets currently, and he is spot on.

Not owning their draft pick outright until 2019 will severely hamper the rebuilding process. But, he offers a solution to that problem; trade Brook Lopez. Lopez is by far the best trade piece the Nets have and he is in the midst of another strong season.

In addition to the scoring arsenal he has in the low post and mid-range, Lopez has expanded his shooting range to the three-point line. Here is some of what Adams said about the Nets trading, Lopez.

"Lopez’s contract — $21 million this season and $22.6M in 2017-18, the final year of his deal — makes a move tricky, but he’s good enough and young enough at 28 that the Nets may be able to find a solid trade partner. And if not now, when? Keeping him until the summer of 2018 could mean losing him for nothing in free agency or dropping a fat max contract on a 30-plus big man when the franchise will likely still be far away from contention.Luckily for Brooklyn their needs aren’t limited in a trade. Get a young player with upside, another first-rounder in this draft and/or some future picks and it’ll most likely be a net-positive."

There is no doubt that Lopez would land the Nets the best return package. But, can they really trade him? Outside of him the Nets have very little to turn to on a nightly basis. With Jeremy Lin sidelined, he is the most consistent source of offense for the team. They could also view him as a cornerstone going forward with their rebuild; you have to have something in place to entice free agents to sign.

While trading Lopez makes some sense, it is tough to imagine the Nets throwing in the towel in that fashion. With no lottery reward coming because of the trade with the Celtics, trading away their best player and losing in hopes of more lottery balls makes no sense.

The trade route is one the Nets will probably look to in the coming weeks, though. They will undoubtedly receive calls about Lopez, but they have other veterans that could be attractive to contending teams.

Trevor Booker and Bojan Bogdanovic are two names to keep an eye on as they could both land the Nets some draft picks based on their play this season. Another name to monitor is second-year forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

Next: Who Did The Brooklyn Nets Select In Chad Ford's Mock Draft?

Reportedly no one is off the table when it comes to trade talks involving the Nets, even Hollis-Jefferson. Only 22-years old, the Nets could probably land a first round pick for Hollis-Jefferson despite his shortcomings offensively.

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