Saturday is the beginning of trade season, at least unofficially. Just don’t expect a lot of action early. The Nets aren’t giving anyone away.
We are nearing the unofficial beginning of trade season, specifically Saturday when trade restrictions on 80 players will be lifted, making complicated trades — and they all are under the new CBA — less so.
For the Brooklyn Nets, the rumors are the same as they have been. As Shams Charania reported on ESPN+ Tuesday,
The Nets have received trade interest and opened exploratory conversations around forwards Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Dennis Schroder, sources said.
Nothing new there. Shams did suggest that the Golden State Warriors have expressed interest in all three but noted as well that they are “among the teams” with interest. He also hinted that Schroder, who makes $13.0 million on an expiring deal, could fit in an exchange for guard De’Anthony Melton, who makes $12.8 million but is out for the season after ACL surgery “along with draft incentives” … not further defined. Golden State has a rich vein of draft assets controlling their own picks from 2025 through 2029.
The Warriors have indeed been long rumored as a possible trade candidate and the similarity between Schroder’s and Melton’s contracts just enhanced speculation. So has the fact that both are on expiring deals and according to multiple league sources contacted by NetsDaily, that is very important to Sean Marks & co.
Said one source familiar with the Nets discussions, but not associated with the franchise, trades might indeed be difficult because the Nets don’t want to take on expiring deals.
“They’re going to be hard to trade with,” said the source. “as they will only take back expiring (contracts.) “
He suggested that even without trades. the Nets “will still tank … they will just start sitting people.” Bottom line, he said, they’re not giving anyone away.
A second league source confirmed the Nets desire not to take on anything but expiring deals, but with a caveat.
“That’s definitely been the narrative,” the source told ND. “but I think they will take two-year money if the draft if the draft assets are rich enough.”
In that regard, the source laid out this possibility:
“Cam Johnson for Khris Middleton and Milwaukee’s 2031 unprotected first, that sort of thing. Easier to move Middleton next year as an expiring if need be,” he said before adding, “But I don’t think they help Milwaukee because they are waiting on Giannis (Antetokounmpo.)”
The rumor that Brooklyn has long-term interest in the Greek Freak is hardly new. It revived earlier this season when the Milwaukee Bucks got off to a 2-8 start, but it’s died down of late as the Bucks have begun winning on a consistent basis.
Johnson is different from either Schroder or DFS. As expiring deals — Finney-Smith has a player option he’s expected to decline — they would be short-term rentals and unlikely to get as big a return as fans expect. In his own trade season preview, Mike Scotto suggested neither is likely to return a first rounder but rather multiple seconds.
CJ on the other hand is three years younger and has a long-term contract that has an additional advantage in that it declines as a percentage of the salary cap. On the other hand, it’s loaded with $3.375 million in contract incentives that under the CBA count against the cap … and in trade calculations … further complicating trade possibilities.
As Keith Smith wrote recently for Spotrac.
For example, one popular NBA Trade Machine proposal features Johnson headed to the Los Angeles Lakers. In order to acquire Johnson in any reasonable trade construction, the Lakers have to aggregate salaries. That means they trigger a second apron hard cap. As it stands today, Los Angeles is only a scant $45,001 under the second apron. That’s almost no wiggle room, and there’s certainly not enough to bring in Johnson, given he’d account for the additional $3,375,000 towards the apron.
You can mess around with different combinations, but it gets tricky to find a match that makes sense for both the Nets and the Lakers.
The Warriors are in worse shape under the new CBA.
There is also some disagreement over whether the Nets are that interested in dealing Johnson who has thrived under Jordi Fernandez and has repeatedly said he wants to continue his relationship with the head coach and franchise.
As an example of the disagreement among pundits re Johnson’s future ESPN’s Tim McMahon had this to say in Monday’s Hoop Collective:
“I was talking to a GM the other day and said who is the best player you think gets traded before the deadline?” said McMahon. “The answer that he came to after thinking about it for a little bit was Cam Johnson.”
Windhorst responded simply, “I don’t think he will get traded.”
Of course, all of it is speculation at this point and it will change. Another league source said that Sean Marks’ priority is not so much about making moves between Saturday and February 6, at 3:00 p.m. ET, the trade deadline. Instead, he said Marks highest priority is flexibility and flexibility over the long term. “The Nets can move in any direction they want,” said the source and that includes postponing decisions on using their cache of cap space till 2026 when the free agent market is much stronger than next summer.
As there outliers that could change things? Of course, Shams suggests in another part of his trade season preview that there are questions about Jimmy Butler’s availability. He has a $52 million player option in the Summer but has given no indication yet what he plans to do.
The Heat are open to listening to offers for Butler and making a deal if the proposal is right, league sources told ESPN, and Butler’s agent, Bernie Lee, has indicated in league circles that Butler is open to destinations such as two of the Texas teams (Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks) and the Golden State Warriors.
Do not dismiss that Brooklyn holds a lure for Butler as well but it is extremely unlikely the Nets would change their course of building organically for a 36-year-old, no matter how talented. But again it’s an indication that Brooklyn remains a popular destination.
In fact, the league sources agree that with its draft picks — 12 firsts and 11 seconds available to be traded, salary cap space — at least $60 million this July, and a number of less quantifiable intangibles — like player amenities, Brooklyn is in good shape going forward, ut fans may need to be patient. (Good luck with that!)