5 Nets Offseason Trade Targets
By jhaverford
Brandon Ingram
The New Orleans Pelicans seem more likely to let Brandon Ingram leave before he becomes a free agent next summer rather than committing to him long-term. Another disappointing season will see them wanting to build around Zion Williamson while prioritizing players like Trey Murphy III to replace Ingram’s production with a bigger role.
A tricky question would revolve around the Nets' confidence level in the wing combo of Bridges and Ingram being diverse enough to work well together. Ingram can create his own shot much better than Bridges, which is what the Nets lacked most last season.
Dorian Finney-Smith would be the most obvious name to replace the wing depth New Orleans loses without Ingram. Another guard player and trade picks would be pivotal, but the price would depend on the market more than the Pelicans. The number of teams willing to trade for Ingram will decide how expensive he will be.
Donovan Mitchell
The biggest name on the trade market for the Nets will be Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland wants to keep Mitchell if they can convince him to sign an extension for the max contract this summer. Any hesitance from Mitchell to commit heading into the final season of his current contract would likely see the Cavaliers opting to trade him instead of losing him for nothing in 2025.
Respected ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst confirmed that the Nets were on a short list of teams already preparing Mitchell trade offers if that happens. Mitchell wanting to play in his hometown of New York is the worst-kept secret, but the Knicks may be out of that equation after their recent success benefiting from team chemistry.
Barclays Center was named by Mitchell as one of his favorite places to play, and he has ties in Brooklyn to the point where the minor league Cyclones team honors him. Mitchell wanting out of Cleveland could push the Nets to act now and try to build their next roster of contention. The trio of Mikal Bridges, Nicolas Claxton, and Mitchell would be the building blocks with the hopes of adding more in the future in this scenario.
More Nets news and rumors:
feed