Trade targets: All 30 teams
Brooklyn Nets
Record: 14-39
14th place in East
Status: Sellers
This is, to paraphrase the captain of the Titanic, kind of a mess.
The Nets don't have a lot with which to barter. Also, they might not really have a barterer, with the front office currently run by interim GM Frank Zanin.
That said, at least two current Nets could be difference-makers for teams trying to win now, or even for rebuilding teams. Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young are still just 27, have been key players for winning teams in the past and could be again.
Potential trade targets
Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams
Brooklyn's best hope to bring back a package of talent is to move Lopez. If Milwaukee's Jason Kidd thinks fondly of his former center, the Bucks could send two players who might not fit their long-range plan.
Alas, if the Bucks do want to mix things up, they'd probably want a long-term point guard in return. The Nets do not have such a player.
Marcus Smart
The Celtics aren't going to return the Nets' 2016 first-rounder they own, but they have plenty of other picks to dangle. Lopez would go to Boston for Smart (ideally), a pick and maybe Tyler Zeller. David Lee would also go to Brooklyn to make the salaries work.
The Celtics have so little long-term money tied up that they could take on Lopez without pinching their long-term flexibility much at all.
And then there's this: Dealing Lopez could push the Nets' to the league's worst record, which would be of particular interest to Boston.
Hassan Whiteside
The Heat need shooting and the Nets don't have much of that, which complicates things. Brooklyn needs young pieces, which Miami lacks beyond Justise Winslow.
Is a deal built around Lopez for Whiteside and Winslow a non-starter? If Miami had some draft picks to include, maybe not. But they don't.
Patrick Patterson
Here's a Young-based notion. The Raptors have great chemistry going but the 4 is one spot they could upgrade and Young fits. The Nets could take on Patterson, a pick and one or more prospects from Toronto's developing quartet of Bruno Caboclo, Lucas Nogueira, Delon Wright and Norman Powell.
Most trade value
1. Brook Lopez
Lopez's contract is appropriate for his production and most teams around the league would love to have his numbers in the middle. But when you combine the length of his contract with his injury risk, some potential trade partners will be scared away.
2. Thaddeus Young
Young fits on a good team, but it's just not clear where and for whom. He's a solid scorer who lacks 3-point range and is a tweener defensively. And his contract doesn't work as a bench player for most contenders.
3. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Hollis-Jefferson looked like a plus defender before he was injured. He's the kind of upside player the Nets need in bulk, and it's unlikely they'd trade their best young piece.
4. Thomas Robinson
Does a team need an offensive rebound specialist for a second-round pick? This isn't sexy, but this is how thin Brooklyn the roster is.
5. Chris McCullough
McCullough finally made his NBA debut in early February after missing more than half his rookie season with injury. Teams will likely want to see him play a little more before trying to trade for him, as the injured rookie wasn't a dead-cinch first-rounder last June anyway.
Most valuable draft pick
2020 first-rounder
While this pick won't manifest for quite a while, there's a decent chance the Nets will still stink by then, so it might have a lot of value.
Toughest contract to trade
Joe Johnson
It was unlikely a team would bite on Johnson's $24.9 million expiring deal anyway, but with rumblings that he might be willing to take a buyout, there's little chance he will be dealt at this point .After a slow start he's played well lately.
Player most likely to be traded
Thaddeus Young
Maybe you can get a non-lottery first rounder for him, and the Nets need whatever future pieces they can get.