Rockets trade proposal lands Nets star Mikal Bridges
06/25/2024 09:37 PM
The Houston Rockets have pursued Mikal Bridges of the Brooklyn Nets for a while. There were rumors before February’s trade deadline of interest from Houston. Those talks could pick up where they left off sooner than later. Houston is among three teams, including the New York Knicks and Utah Jazz, who are expected to call the Nets regarding the Villanova wing according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer. The question then becomes: what does a trade between the Rockets and Nets for Bridges look like?
Trade Offer
The Nets trade Mikal Bridges to the Rockets for Amen Thompson, Jae’Sean Tate, Jock Landale, and two first-round picks (via Brooklyn, 2024 and 2026).
Why the Rockets do it
Houston gets the player they want, and the fit should be seamless. Mikal Bridges was a bit overtaxed last season as the top scoring option with the Nets, but that won’t be the case with Houston. Alperen Sengun is a legit offensive hub at the center spot whose passing would work great with Bridges. Bridges is an excellent cutter and movement shooter and those skills would get amplified in Houston.
He also wouldn’t have to be a primary shot creator very often. Jalen Green would stick around with this trade hypothetical and he started to kick things into high gear last season. Green averaged 27.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game in the month of March on outstanding 49.2/40.8/76.7 shooting splits.
If he can carry that momentum into next season, Houston will have plenty of offensive firepower. They’d also have a ton of shooting and versatility on defense. Bridges, Jabari Smith Jr., Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, and Dillon Brooks would allow them to switch all over the floor if they elect to go small. All of them also shot at least 35.9% from three last season as well.
The Rockets wouldn’t have to give up a lot to make this trade for Bridges. They’d be giving Brooklyn two of their own picks, including the third pick this year. Trading away Amen Thompson before seeing if he can develop into a shooter could sting, but this trade would be worth it. It’s hard to find a better fit for the Rockets than Bridges.
Why the Nets do it
If the Nets wanted to enter another) rebuild, this is realistically their only path to do so. The reason Houston has all of Brooklyn’s future picks until 2027 in the first place is because of the James Harden of 2021. It’s put them in a bind that they can’t really get out of. They have no incentive to tank but are not good enough to even make the play-in.
The Nets went for it with Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving, and are now paying the price for it. Their only tickets out would be to acquire their own picks back or get lucky that the Suns completely fizzle out. The former is so much more in their control than the latter is.
The Rockets would still have a 2025 and 2027 first-round pick swap with the Nets in their control, but this would still be a great return for Brooklyn. Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard will likely be available with that third pick and he’d make for a great fit in Brooklyn. Thompson was just the fourth pick in last year’s draft and he is already one of the better perimeter defenders in the league.
The best path for the Nets is a rebuild. Bridges is a fantastic player, but he isn’t changing Brooklyn’s franchise either. One of their own picks could. Building from the ground up again would surely sting for Nets fans, but this trade is likely the best path for them to take.
The post Rockets trade proposal lands Nets star Mikal Bridges appeared first on ClutchPoints.
