After trading away Bridges in the offseason, the Brooklyn Nets have made it clear that their goal for this season is to tank and pursue the 25th super star, Flag, as the cornerstone of their team building. However, while the team may have its own plans, the players on the court will not intentionally cooperate with the team's tanking strategy, as every opportunity to play directly affects their personal interests. This has led to the Nets, who are aiming to tank, upsetting strong teams one after another at the beginning of the season, becoming a dark horse in the Eastern Conference and entering the ranks of competitors.
This kind of performance has caused great concern among the Nets' management, leading them to quickly put their immediate combat power on the market. Do not think that this is an exaggeration; just look at the absurd behavior of the Jazz coach in the West, who called a timeout at a critical moment to kill his own team, and it is not difficult to understand the fierce competition among various teams.
After all, Flag is simply too tempting. Not only does he possess super strength and talent, but he also has an excellent appearance and is a native American star.
From the draft picks of the past few seasons, it is not difficult to see that international players are dominating the NBA, and the number of top American stars is decreasing. The NBA urgently needs to find local stars to support the domestic market after the old generation of stars like James, Curry, and Durant retire. It is also not difficult to see from the overwhelming publicity and hype that Flag is clearly highly anticipated.
Especially in the 25th draft class, there is not only the super rookie Flag, but as the season progresses, more and more talented new stars are emerging, such as Harper, Bailey, Aichomby, and Traore, all of whom are promising.
Therefore, teams with poor records this season are all trying their best to tank, attempting to compete for better draft positions, and are also accumulating first-round and second-round picks for the 25th draft through trades.
The Nets are one of the most active teams. After the trade market became active again, the Nets took the lead in completing a 5-for-2 trade with the Warriors centered around Schroder, sending away Schroder, who averaged 18+6 points, and only receiving three second-round picks in return.
At the same time, according to reports from multiple reporters including NBA journalist Evan Sidery, HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto, and ESPN insider Shams, the Nets are actively selling veterans such as Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson.
For this reason, the US media "Fansided" also advised the Rockets and other three competitive teams to complete transactions with the Nets, attempting to complete low-priced shopping in the chaos.
Transaction Three: Magic 2-for-1 Bojan
Nets receive: Cole Anthony + a first-round pick;
Magic receives: Bojan
The Magic package a first-round pick and Cole Anthony to get Bojan. After the absence of Banchero and Wagner Jr., the Magic still maintain a decent competitiveness.
Bojan is a high-quality offensive player who will provide the Magic with the shooting, scoring, and experience they need.
Before the Nets acquired Bojan, NBA journalist Anthony Amador had revealed that the Magic were interested in getting him.
Transaction Two: Grizzlies 2-for-1 Finney-Smith
Nets receive: Smart + a first-round pick;
Grizzlies receive: Finney-Smith.
With the growth of Little Pippen, Smart's position in the Grizzlies has become increasingly awkward, and he has been put on the market by the team.
Compared to Smart, Finney-Smith is a high-quality 3D player who is suitable for almost any team and will improve the Grizzlies' rotation height.
Transaction One: Rockets 3-for-1 Cameron Johnson
Rockets receive: Cameron Johnson;
Nets receive: Dillon + two first-round picks.
Three-point shooting is currently the biggest weakness of the Rockets, which happens to be Cameron's strength and advantage.
This season, he has played the best performance of his career, averaging 19.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, with a three-point shooting percentage of 42.9%, which can be described as both productive and efficient.
In December, his average data further increased to 23.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, with a three-point shooting percentage of 44.3%. Although he is 27 years old, which is somewhat old, compared to veterans like Butler and Durant, his age obviously fits the Rockets' timeline better, and his asking price is relatively lower.