The Brooklyn Nets are a team that everyone is going to be keeping an eye on this NBA offseason. After trading away Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant ahead of the deadline, they reloaded their cache of assets.
Brooklyn is flush with draft capital, tradeable contracts and very good players. They would be able to put together some very compelling trade packages should an All-Star-level player become available this offseason for a trade.
One of the players that could shake loose this offseason is Zach LaVine. While the Chicago Bulls seem intent on doing whatever they can to remain competitive, being stuck in the middle is the worst place to be in the NBA. The sooner that ownership accepts the harsh reality of needing to rebuild, the better.
The fastest way to kickstart that rebuild would be trading LaVine. He would bring back the most in a trade package and push the Bulls to the bottom of the standings, putting them in a position for top prospects in the draft.
If they accept that this offseason, the Nets could present them with a very intriguing trade package. A suggested deal would be LaVine heading to the Nets in exchange for Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas and four first-round draft picks; a 2023 first via the Nets, a 2025 first via the Phoenix Suns, a 2027 first that the Houston Rockets own the right to swap with and a 2027 first via the Philadelphia 76ers.
None of the picks would have protections, so the Bulls could end up with some nice draft capital. Taking on Simmons, who could very well have the worst contract in the NBA, is certainly worth all of those picks and Thomas, who has some upside as a scorer.
This would be the first step in a multi-step process for Chicago to enter their rebuild. Nikola Vucevic is heading toward unrestricted free agency and trading DeMar DeRozan would be next on their to-do list.
For the Nets, they would land that No. 1 option to pair with Mikal Bridges as their go-to scorer on offense. LaVine’s defense isn’t highly regarded, but the Nets are built to overcome that with Nicolas Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, Cam Johnson and Bridges on the roster.
