SUMMARY
- Reports reveal that the Brooklyn Nets might trade away Mikal Bridges.
- The Nets have been offered 5 first round picks for Bridges.
There appears to be a great demand for Mikal Bridges in the trade market. As many NBA fans might be aware, Bridges is a 27-year-old star currently playing for the Brooklyn Nets. He started off his career with the Phoenix Suns but was traded to the Nets in a deal that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix.
After losing veteran established stars such as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving the team has been struggling quite a lot to stay relevant this season. The Brooklyn Nets currently hold a record of 19 wins and 28 losses. That gives them the 11th spot in the Eastern Conference and would mean they miss the play-in tournament in the season ended today.
Since the Nets are clearly not the team fans expected them to be a few seasons ago, Mikal has been involved in trade rumors with the February 8 trade deadline rapidly approaching.
Are the Brooklyn Nets conflicted about trading Mikal Bridges?
Fans were caught off guard to hear a report revealing that the Nets had been offered 5 first-round picks by unnamed teams across the league in order to acquire Mikal Bridges. Consdering that he has averaged 21.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists this season, adding him to any contender would certainly get them closer to winning an NBA championship.
The Brooklyn Nets reportedly received multiple offers of FIVE first-round picks for Mikal Bridges, per @HPbasketball
“Two league sources said the Nets have claimed multiple offers of five first-rounders for Mikal Bridges, but I’m pretty skeptical on that front. One, it might be… pic.twitter.com/ojLFefrdqc
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 3, 2024
However, this report reveals an interesting conflict that the Nets are going through. It is quite uncommon for news regarding a potential offer that was never accepted to be made public. Moreover, it is unclear whether the Nets are still hoping to contend in the postseason or are planning to enter a state of rebuilding.
Some keen-eyed fans were able to conclude that it is quite likely that the Nets leaked this offer in order to get a better one and improve his value to other teams inadvertently. Although putting him on the trade block could cause friction in his relationship with the team, it would be a good move if the Nets actually plan to move on from him.
What is the Nets’ ceiling for this season?
Considering that several teams across the Eastern Conference such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks have made additions to their roster in order to get even better, the Nets’ ceiling for this season is not very high regardless of whether they retain or trade away Mikal Bridges.
Even if the team manages to go undefeated in the play-in tournament, which they have not qualified for at the moment, they will simply not be expected to get past the first round or even make it a closer series. In any case, fans are left wondering if the Nets will trade away Bridges or continue to depend on him to lead them for the rest of the season.