Brooklyn Nets Turned Down 'Hoard of First Rounders' for Mikal Bridges (2024)

The Brooklyn Nets are in a rebuilding stage. After the franchise unloaded the trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, it was evident the team was heading in a different direction. Of course, nobody expected Brooklyn to be a championship-caliber club in 2023-24 with a roster full of up-and-coming young players. On the other hand, the Nets missed the Play-In, which was a surprise in its own right.

Now that the Nets have a new head coach in Jordi Fernandez, it seems nearly everyone on the roster isn’t safe from being moved this offseason. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for Mikal Bridges, with the Nets seemingly making it clear he’s not on the block.

According to Fred Katz of The New York Times, citing league sources, several teams have made pitches to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Bridges’ services. To illustrate the type of offers Brooklyn has received, Katz presented a hypothetical scenario involving the New York Knicks putting together a package to include Bojan Bogdanovic and several draft picks. But the Nets haven’t been receptive, reporting numerous teams have already made similar proposals.

Mikal Bridges At A Glance

Bridges' production the last few seasons

See Also

Mikal Bridges vs. Kelly Oubre Jr. Season by Season ComparisonNets Still Not Interested In Trading Mikal Bridges - NBA News | Fantasy BasketballPhoenix Suns vs. Houston Rockets Live Score and Stats - December 7, 2019 Gametracker

Bridges showed plenty of promise near the end of his tenure with the Phoenix Suns. In 56 games with the Suns before getting shipped to Brooklyn in 2022-23, the 27-year-old averaged 17.2 points. Yet, he smashed that mark by averaging 26.1 points in 27 games with the Nets after the swap. For that reason, Bridges appeared well on his way to becoming an All-Star.

Unfortunately, he averaged only 19.6 points during the 2023-24 campaign, which was a massive disappointment. In all fairness, the team wasn’t good overall, with head coach Jacque Vaughn getting relieved of his duties during the year. Things weren’t much better under Kevin Ollie, who took over for Vaughn with an interim tag.

Should Brooklyn Trade Mikal Bridges?

What direction should Brooklyn go moving ahead?

Does it make sense for the Nets to stand firm on their stance regarding Bridges, considering Sean Marks has little to offer rival squads around the National Basketball Association? Besides Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, who will receive plenty of attention over the summer, impending free-agent Nico Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Cam Thomas are the only players with real value. However, it’s certainly safe to say Bridges would still get Brooklyn the most in return.

There are a few other players who could potentially be dangled in trade talks. But Ben Simmons and his $40 million price tag is much more than any franchise is looking to take on, especially for a guy who barely played over the last few seasons. Cameron Johnson is nearly just as injury-prone, and Dennis Schroder wouldn’t be welcomed back by most of the teams he’s already played for.

Without a doubt, the organization still believes Bridges is capable of being the focal point of a rebuild. He has more than a few endearing qualities, with his durability being at the top of the list. Many also remember a time when the former Villanova Wildcat was a Defensive Player of the Year finalist.

It should be an interesting offseason for the Brooklyn Nets. Although there are things that are expected to happen, like re-signing Claxton, the only thing guaranteed not to transpire is any move involving Bridges.