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With well over 20 games of the 2023-24 NBA season already in the books, we can start to take a look at the Brooklyn Nets trade deadline. As you may have seen by now, there haven’t been that many Brooklyn Nets trade rumors early in the season, but that should change drastically as we approach February.
Joe Tsai and Sean Marks lost one battle, but not the war. They didn’t get as much as they would’ve wanted from Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, and Ben Simmons looks like damaged goods now more than ever. But the team still has solid assets to build around and put together a contending team for years to come.
With that in mind, let’s talk about why the Nets need to be more competitive now than ever, and why they should make the most of a potential fire sale from the Toronto Raptors to get their hands on Pascal Siakam and never let him go.
Why The Nets Need To Compete Now
When the Nets put together their big 3, they hoped to have one of the best small forwards in NBA history side by side with two of the most talented scorers ever. Instead, all they got was PR nightmares and never-ending drama. Oh, and a big debt in terms of draft capital.
Simply put, the Houston Rockets control their draft for years to come. That rules out any incentive to tank, as the Rockets could simply swap their most valuable pick with them. That’s why they need to make sure to, at least, have a better record than the Houston Rockets.
Ime Udoka‘s team isn’t making things easy for them, though. They overcame a slow start to the season and have been quite solid over the past month or so, so Jacque Vaughn and company will need to be at their best to make sure the former Nets assistant coach doesn’t get the last laugh.
Why They Need Pascal Siakam
Chances are that Pascal Siakam’s name won’t pop up in most of the Brooklyn Nets 2024 trade news, but he’s just what they need right now. They have a somewhat solid starting five, but the power forward spot is the weakest link with Cam Johnson.
Johnson is an elite shooter with impressive length, but he’s proven to be better suited to come off the bench instead of being a starter. Also, the Nets lack a scoring punch in the second unit, and Johnson could be their offensive catalyst and instant spark off the bench, just like they hoped Cam Thomas would be.
Siakam is perhaps the best two-way player they could realistically get, as OG Anunoby is likely to demand a steeper trade return. He’d give them a solid one-two punch next to Nic Claxton, and the Nets would have one of the best defensive frontcourts in the game with those two and Mikal Bridges rounding things up.
The Nets don’t have the best point guard situation, and that’s another thing they could address. Then again, coach Vaughn often features multiple ball-handlers, and Siakam is an elite initiator for a guy his size. He won’t be in charge of the offense or play like Jokic or anything, but he’d give them another capable ball-handler to play off.
This team is still a piece away from making some noise, but if Cam Thomas can return to his early-season shape and put up 25+ a night, they would just need another defensive anchor by his side to at least make sure to make the playoffs, and trading for Siakam would get them much closer to that goal.
