Really leaning towards acquiring Bridges for Brooks, a pick and a swap. Our scoring, spacing and transition would improve. Defense remains same. That means we can remain a top 6 defensive team when healthy, but also move up the offensive rankings. Very very worth it. We'll be another similar move away from being a top 10 defense and top 10 offense, which is championship calibre. Bridges playing off Sengun and Green sounds like a really incredible trio and it doesn't take away from Amen/Tari/Jabari/Whitmore. When Bridges is up for an extension, we will already know exactly what we have in our young players and can make easy decisions. Hope we can pull something like this off. Upgrading Brooks is our best move this summer if we have to make a move. That's the only GOOD asset we have that we don't NEED. Having said that, going into next season with Amen/Brooks/Jabari/Tari is a monstrous defensive quarter in its own right. Just not enough offense there.
It doesn't sound like they would entertain such an offer--it would probably take more picks. Also, I just don't know that I agree Bridges is enough to push us into contender status. I think our young guys will still be too inconsistent and not ready to be the best players on a championship team, and by the time they are ready, Bridges' contract will be over and he will be asking for max money for his age 30-34 seasons, at the same time as we need the cap space to pay for our own players. Would rather hold onto our assets for a better and/or younger player.
They have certainly rejected higher offers before, but Bridges contract is shrinking thus his value - even to them - has to shrink. I'm predicting they are not going to get more than 2-3 picks now that he has had the worst stretch of his career plus his contract is half the length it was when they rejected 4 picks. Is it even reasonable to expect his value to hold? I'm willing to bet it's not happening for them and Marks waited too long. He certainly won't push us into contender status. As mentioned, he would push us into a lock for the playoffs (top 6). Depending on how internal improvement goes, I can see it pushing us to a surprise 4th place finish or something. We're upgrading a role player to a championship calibre role player here. We have two guys who can score at the rim and need to work on everything else. We have two scorers who need the ball - that's it, you can't have 3 scorers AND a PG who need the ball in the starting lineup. To add a ball-dominant player to this mix would be a colossal mistake, reduce everyone's rhythm. We need a 2nd/3rd star type player for this core - a Klay Thompson or MPJ or Kevin Love. We need someone who is proud of being an off ball scorer and can punish you if you ignore their drive too much. We need that person to be a great defender. There are better players than Mikal Bridges I would turn down just because Bridges is an excellent fit. There are better players than Bridges who would lessen Green's and Sengun's production. Bridges is certain to improve things for Green/Sengun and that has immense value. Don't ignore that other than maybe OKC there is no one in the Western playoff chase who will improve more by doing nothing than the Rockets. If you're thinking last season's Sengun/Jabari/Tari/Jalen/Cam/Amen needs more than Bridges to take a good step, it's not an accurate projection. Most of our core 6 will improve in an average way for their age and at a higher rate than all the veteran teams we're competing against. 3 of the teams ahead of us (LAL, GSW, PHO) are highly likely to see their core get worse as players enter their mid/late 30's. Next season's core plus Bridges plus Ime motivating Bridges > this is going to make ripples in the West. As for Bridges, I've honestly never heard of a team worried about what to do with a guy who's rights they retain and will demand the max on the market. Sounds like a liquid asset we can do whatever we want with. I also do not believe for 1 second that Bridges will be offered the max by anyone in 2 years after we have seen him in an appropriate role, but that's my own outsider prediction. This new archetype of "he's not that good but will get the max" has rarely ever materialized in the way fans expect. I think similar to this season, as time passes, people will see Bridges for what he is. A perfect 3rd scorer on a championship team.
Rob Dillingham. I know that he's being projected as top 5 in a few mocks, but in this wacky draft anything can happen. His ability to shoot and create his own shot is needed here. I see a little Quickley/Maxey/Kyrie potential offensively. And he's fast. He can get out and run with our other horses. A second unit of Amen, Dillingham, Cam, Tari and Adams could be lethal. His defense is concerning so I think 6th or 7th man would be a perfect role for him here.
I don't really disagree with any of this per se, the part I'm not sure I'm onboard with is whether he's the best use of our trade assets. Which we can't really know for sure without knowing which guys are potentially available. (But we also don't know for sure what the actual price will be on Bridges and if their delusional front office will actually give him up for anything remotely reasonable.) I do also think he's a good chance we can already make the playoffs just from internal development, so I'm maybe not as concerned about trying to get a guy to push us over the top. I do agree it would be nice to trade Dillon in the offseason for somebody who improves our roster construction overall, I just more favor trying to get a young defensive combo guard like Cason Wallace or Ayo Dosunmu. I think it would make more sense to let our young guys fill the 3 spot and upgrade from Aaron Holiday + add another guard option in case Jalen and/or Amen don't work out as our starting guards of the future.
We aren’t a contender yet - this is about growing and building out value on the cheap for 3-4 years from now. I would doubt guys like FVV, Brooks, and Holiday are on the roster much longer after we start paying Jalen and Alpi. NOW is the time to start collecting your future bench guys because there won’t be much money left for paying vets after 2years when Sengun, Green, Smith, and Eason are all getting contracts and Cam and Amen are up next.
I think if you can get Bridges for Brooks/24 Nets/26 Nets you have to do it for 3 reasons. 1. Bridges is an upgrade as a player 2. Bridges expires 1 year earlier than Brooks and gives us some cap flexibility when extensions start kicking in. 3. The Nets will basically be a lock to be a bottom 5 team next year without Bridges and the Rockets will be able to swap the Thunder pick for the Nets pick in what should be a good draft.
I certainly think Bridges is a good player and helps with our shooting, which is a huge need, but with the emergence of Cam and Jalen, and my confidence in Tari, I think I’d rather target a guard who can take over for Fred once his max contract expires. A guy like Murray for example. I think you are spot on about trading Dillon Brooks. I don’t think it has to be done before the deadline, but if packaging him with this year’s Brooklyn pick could get you 3 years of Dejuante Murray on a value contract, I think that might be a better fit given our needs. It takes pressure off Fred in the near-term and allows for Amen’s positional optionality.
I think Nets picks have the most value when being traded back to the Nets. I'm not sure a team like the Hawks would be interested in a Brooks/24/26 package for Murray because they get worse and the Nets could still possibly land a star and make those picks mediocre. I think the 25 pick swap is by far the greatest pick asset we have and a trade that makes the Nets worse makes it even more valuable. If you want a guard to fill in for Fred you will probably be able to get a Murray level player or better with the Nets 25 pick next off-season.
I hear you. But given how good the 25’ and 26’ drafts are projected to be, I kind of want to hold onto those picks and swaps. I feel like this is the year to trade a draft pick. Good point though, Atlanta probably wouldn’t bite on 24’ & Brooks.
I'd probably do this yeah. I love Brooks and everything he did for this team but I'd trade Dillon, the 24 and the 26 for Mikal Bridges. They can then flip Brooks for another FRP + SRP.
In my scenario we keep the 25 pick. It's hard for me to envision Brooklyn giving up Bridges for just the 24 pick unless it's the first pick and they love a player at number 1. I don't think Brooklyn has a lot of outs but if we hold on to their picks they are probably going to keep trying to find ways to compete. However, if they have the 26 pick back and get a lottery pick this year they might be more willing to eat next season as a rebuilding year where they end up with a late Thunder first round pick. I don't want to give up the 26 pick but I think Bridges and a top 5ish pick in 25 gives the Rockets great value for 24, 26, Brooks.
That's too much for Bridges. IMO they can get Brooks+24 or fillers+24+26. They've over-bluffed, let's not be the ones who bail them out.
I think Bridges is worth more to the Nets. Frankly, we already have too many folks looking for FGAs to add without a major subtraction. Either we need more depth/connectors or consolidate for a major piece (greater than Bridges).
I’m not giving up any Brooklyn picks between 2025 and 2027 there is simply too much potential in them. #9+Brooks+2027 Rockets first is my offer.
I hope we don't give up the 2025 Nets pick. Brooklyn could really suck next season. We need to hang onto that.
I can't imagine us giving it up for anything less than a multiple all star level player. If that swap was in place this year we would be giving them OKC's 29th pick for for a top 10 pick and I'm with you that BK should be awful next year unless they trade for a star. Washington is the only team I'm confident should be worse than them.
