Trade official. Brooklyn Nets move on without Mikal Bridges but with assets galore
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Nets made two big moves official Saturday, finalizing their trade with the Knicks and officially signing Nic Claxton. How big the deals? The deal is finally complete. Mikal Bridges is now a New York Knick (along with Keita Bates Diop) and the Brooklyn Nets have five first round picks, only one with any protections, an unprotected swap of firsts and what could be a very valuable second rounder plus three players: Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton and Mamadi Diakite, none of whose contracts are guaranteed beyond next summer. The Nets also created a large trade exception apparently worth $23.3 million, third largest in the NBA and in the process, sent their longheld stash, Juan Pablo Vaulet, across the river.
Official. Full details ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/MQ843wgZJQ— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) July 7, 2024
More significantly than the numbers of picks or the length of contracts or the size of the TPE is that the Nets’ halfway-in, halfway-out strategy is over. They are rebuilding or worse —no matter what we or they call it. And that the rebuild could be ugly when many pundits are pinning Brooklyn’s win total next season at fewer than 20, barring some unexpected changes. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the tank will settle Brooklyn’s problems or be limited to one season.
The farewells on social media, from the teams or players, seem to confirm what both Ian Begley and Brian Lewis had reported when the first rumors broke: that Bridges either forced his way out or let it be known he’d be happier in New York with his Villanova buddies. After all, they won 50 games while the Nets lost 50.
On social media, before Bridges even thanked the Nets and their fans, he expressed gratitude to the Knicks for getting him if not out of Brooklyn, then to Manhattan.
On Twitter...
Thank you https://t.co/PtB5x4DlaS— Mikal Bridges (@mikal_bridges) July 7, 2024
... and on Instagram where expressed excitement about playing at the “mf” Madison Square Garden...
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A post shared by New York Knicks (@nyknicks)
Even the Nets farewell to Bridges seemed perfunctory, considering that he had been the face of the franchise...
Thank you, Mikal pic.twitter.com/FLdzxQZj5b— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) July 7, 2024
As our Anthony Puccio wrote, Bridges never seemed to want the embrace of Brooklyn Nets fans and dissed them while praising those who rooted for Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte Divencenzo across the river.
Instead, most of the marketing apparatus’ output focused on the return of Nic Claxton who after all Sean Marks and Jordi Fernandez called the off-season’s biggest focus.
What’s next? There probably won’t be much discussion about how the Nets lost Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden and now Bridges. It will continue to be more about the future than the past, particularly all those picks and all that cap space starting next Summer.
There was no movement on reported trade rumors that would send Dorian Finney-Smith or Cam Johnson elsewhere. The big moves made by the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings, in fact, seemed to limit the market for those two. Bojan Bogdanovic? Dennis Schroder? Ben Simmons? That’s nearly $75 million in expiring deals. Both Bogdanovic and Simmons are still recovering from injuries.
No news yes on the free agency of Trendon Watford who the Nets extended a qualifying offer. Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith Jr. who did not receive qualifying offers wee headed elsewhere. Putting aside Diakite’s uncertain contract status uncertain — he’s not fully guaranteed — and Watford’s extension, the Nets have only 12 players under contract for next year with about $13 million of clearance under the luxury tax threshold.
So, there will be more movement. After all, it’s only the first day of free agency. Some of it what goes on the bottom of the roster will be decided by who excels in Summer League which begins Thursday in Las Vegas. Plenty of news left.
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