The Brooklyn Nets are stuck in neutral — the price to pay for a mid-season hot streak when the hope for many supporters outside the organization was tanking for the No. 1 overall pick and a chance to draft Duke standout, Cooper Flagg.
Less than a month ago, they had a legitimate shot at it. Following a 1-12 stretch, Brooklyn sat at 14-33; third-from-bottom in the Eastern Conference, though significantly ahead of the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Utah Jazz.
But a stretch that featured seven wins in nine games has destroyed any chances of getting that top pick, putting them closer to the play-in tournament rather than a strong draft position. It makes Monday night’s loss to the Wizards, the worst team in the East, all the more damaging. The Nets are now 2.5 games out of the 10th in the conference, which is that final play-in spot behind the Chicago Bulls.
Simply put, they are too good for a headlining pick in the draft barring an absolute collapse and too bad to suggest that the franchise has a clear path toward building a contender — at least at the moment.
Perhaps that is why the Nets’ greatest hope for getting back on the path to relevance is once again through the market, which is a place that has significantly burned them twice over the last 12 years (look how much the acquisitions of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving set this franchise back).
But the allure of Giannis Antetokounmpo is something entirely different. Trade rumblings have continued to persist around the 30-year-old Milwaukee Bucks’ superstar, who could ask for a ticket out of town should his side continue to lag behind the NBA’s elite. The Bucks woke up Tuesday morning holding the No. 4 spot in the East but are just eight games over .500.
Antetkounmpo is still one of the most dominant stars in the game. The two-time MVP, nine-time All-Star, and 2021 NBA champion is averaging 31 points and 12 rebounds per game — a transcendental talent that can reverse the fortunes of any team in an instant.
The Nets, who are reportedly enamored with the idea of bringing Antetokounmpo on, certainly have the capital to put together a king’s ransom for the Bucks. That includes 10 first-round draft picks (and 11 second-rounders) over the next five seasons.
Swinging a blockbuster for him makes this season even more irrelevant, and perhaps cushions the blow of one ill-timed hot streak.
