The Brooklyn Nets may be headed for another busy trade deadline, and this one could reshape a roster that is already built around youth and flexibility.
ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel believes most of Brooklyn’s roster will not survive until February’s deadline, even though the team is loaded with young players. Most of the Nets are 26 or younger, and Julius Randle, Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann and Moritz Wagner are the only players on the roster who are 28 or older.
That age profile is a big part of the equation. General manager Sean Marks has added eight players on rookie-scale contracts over the last two offseasons, with Egor Dëmin standing out as the headliner from last year’s draft class, also known as the Flatbush Five, and Mikel Brown Jr. highlighted as the gem from this year’s group.
Marks also has the draft capital to chase a major deal, but he has shown patience and appears willing to wait for the right opening. How fast the younger players develop will help determine when he decides to move draft picks and other pieces to strengthen the roster.
The challenge is that Brooklyn is not exactly sitting on a pile of movable money. More than 10 Nets are making under $10 million, which makes it difficult to put together the kind of salary package that usually lands a significant trade return.
That is why Porter and Mann stand out as the most obvious names to watch. Their contracts add up to $51.3 million, with Porter making $40 million and Mann at $15.5 million. Paired with Brooklyn’s first-round picks, that kind of package could be enough to land a star.
Porter in particular looks like a player who could draw serious interest. He is coming off a career year, averaging 24.2 points while shooting 36.3% from three, and he had been at 41% from deep before an All-Star snub left him unmotivated to improve. At 6-foot-10, he gives teams the kind of spacing that changes an offense, and he has hit 39.5% or better from three in six of his seven seasons with the Denver Nuggets while playing alongside Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.
The Golden State Warriors have reportedly been at the front of the Porter chase, looking for another scorer to help ease the burden on Stephen Curry.
Mann could also be on the move, even if his path is different. His contract is smaller and could be used to bring back an impact role player. He is under contract for one more season at $16 million, and he has already been traded multiple times over the past year.
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Porter has said his focus is on winning and on showing he can be a key offensive piece, which fits the kind of upside Brooklyn is hoping to tap into. After averaging nearly 25 points per game last season, he has the production to strengthen his case, but with no extension finalized, his future with the Nets still hangs in the balance. [Read more 🡒]