Julius Randle may not end up being a long-term piece for the Brooklyn Nets, but that doesn’t mean the team should be in a hurry to move him.
Randle was traded to Brooklyn, and the questions started almost immediately. One of his former teams has already been mentioned as a possible trade partner, and until the Nets give people a reason to stop talking, the three-time All-Star is going to stay in the rumor mill as the trade deadline gets closer.
That said, Brooklyn would be making a mistake if it starts dangling his name around without a real roadmap for what comes next. If the goal is just to clear money, the Nets need to be careful. Moving him for salary relief only makes sense if there’s an actual plan for the next offseason and beyond.
There is at least a version of this where it all fits. If Brooklyn wants to position itself for a free agent class that could include Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, then preserving cap space has a logic to it. But it’s difficult to imagine any of those names choosing Brooklyn next season.
And the alternative isn’t all that appealing either. The Nets can’t sit in tanking purgatory forever, because that kind of stretch can teach bad habits to young players who need structure, not drift.
Randle brings at least some of the things this roster needs. He has been through the process of helping a young team rise, doing that with the New York Knicks long before the city was packed to the brim just to get a glance of the players on floats heading down Broadway.
He has also spoken highly of Brooklyn’s young players and of the growing chemistry he has with Michael Porter Jr. That matters for a team that could use some energy inside a Barclays Center where you can hear a pin drop.
The Nets need veterans who can guide younger players, demand more from them and bring some edge to the floor. Randle can fit that mold. He can also get in his own head and come up short in big moments, but his skill set is hard to teach, and the fire he plays with was missing from Brooklyn’s locker room last season.
So no, Randle may not be a Net forever. But moving him just to save money would not make much sense unless Brooklyn already knows it has a path to a superstar or a real swing in free agency.
In Other News...
Nets History's Biggest What-Ifs Are Suddenly Back In Focus
A recent podcast appearance by Peter Vecsey reopened a familiar Nets conversation: how a franchise with plenty of turning points has also spent years revisiting the ones that slipped away. Vecsey walked through several of the organizations defining crossroads, from why the Nets passed on Kobe Bryant in 1996 to the circumstances that helped push Julius Erving out the door, offering a reminder that the teams history is as much about decisions made as opportunities missed.
He also revisited Drazen Petrovics contract frustration and the possibility he could have gone overseas before his death, another sharp reminder of how fragile those eras could be. Vecsey widened the lens to more modern Nets business, too, weighing in on the James Harden trade and Sean Marks run as an executive, which keeps the franchises past and present tied together in the same uncomfortable question: which moves really defined the organization, and which ones still haunt it? [Read more 🡒]
Joe Tsai Just Framed The Pressure Around Brooklyns Rebuild
The Nets are deep into their first true rebuild since Joe Tsai took over as controlling owner in 2019, and hes making clear he understands the mood around it. Tsai described Brooklyns fanbase as sophisticated and patient, the kind of audience that expects the organization to build the right way through the draft rather than chase shortcuts, which fits a team still sorting out its long-term direction after the era of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
Tsai also acknowledged that Nets fans come with strong opinions, and that those voices matter because they help hold the organization accountable. In a market that has seen the whole arc from star-chasing to reset, the pressure now is different but no less real, with Brooklyn trying to show progress the patient way while knowing the scrutiny will only grow as the rebuild unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Added Two Forwards With A Bigger Goal Than The Roster
The Nets have filled out their roster with the signings of forwards Ben Humrichous and Dain Dainja, bringing the group to 21 players as camp approaches. Both are expected to be in training camp and could wind up spending most of their time with the Long Island Nets in the G League, which has become the standard holding pattern for players on the edge of the NBA roster.
Humrichous arrives on an Exhibit 10 deal after going undrafted, while Dainja comes in after a previous stop with the Miami Heat. For Brooklyn, the point is bigger than simply rounding out the depth chart, since these types of signings often serve as an early look at developmental pieces the organization wants to keep close and evaluate through camp. What happens next will depend on how they look once the pace picks up. [Read more 🡒]