Now that the Nets have kicked off their trade season by sending Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors, it is only a matter of time before Brooklyn ships out more of their veterans for future assets. While the 2024 Nets have been energetic and downright respectable, the fact of the matter is they’ve been too good.
With a loaded 2025 draft class coming up, they’ll need to start losing a lot more games fast if they’re going to compete with the Wizards, Jazz, Pelicans, and other tanktastic teams of the world. With that in mind, here are the next three Nets to be on the move, ranked in order of most to least likely.
1. Dorian Finney-Smith
Dorian Finney-Smith is a perfect fit for NBA teams looking to contend for a championship and is on a reasonable contract. As such, he will be a hot commodity on the market. At 31 years old, he certainly won’t be part of the next Nets core, so it makes too much sense for them to recoup some solid assets for him. He’s shooting it from three at 42.2% this year and still defends well.
He has a $15.4 million player option for next year that he is likely to decline, making him a short-term rental for whoever acquires him. He should fetch the Nets a late first-round pick or multiple, desirable second-round picks.
2. Cameron Johnson
Cam Johnson brings many of the same attributes as Finney-Smith, though he’s younger (28), bigger, an even better shooter, and has more offensive juice. There's a reason he's already generating so much interest around the league.
In addition, he’s on a very team-friendly contract for someone with his skillset and thus will cost quite a bit more in assets than Finney-Smith, hence him ranking slightly lower on this list in terms of trade likelihood. He has two more years on his deal after this one, totaling $43 million, so if the Nets aren’t blown away by an offer, they can simply hold onto him.
3. Day'Ron Sharpe
Sharpe is young, a very productive backup, and not expensive. But he’s also about to be a restricted free agent who the Nets won’t want to pay. At just 23 years old, Sharpe can contribute minutes off the bench to a better team and bring the Nets a couple of future picks. He is so affordable that his market should be wide.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see all three of the above players traded before the deadline so that the Nets can bottom out and increase their lottery odds. While it won’t be for the Nets, one of these players may play a role in winning the 2025 NBA title.