The Boston Celtics’ biggest trade chips have always been the draft picks they acquired from the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster 2013 trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Boston refused to part with a Nets pick for Jimmy Butler, and were turned down when they reportedly offered at least one of them for Paul George.
The Nets might not be terrible this year and that’s bad news for Cavaliers fans
Brooklyn overhauled its roster this offseason. Cavs fans shouldn’t expect them to be the worst team in the NBA anymore.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
On Tuesday, the Celtics finally made their move. Kyrie Irving is going to Boston for a package headlined by Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and the Nets’ unprotected first round-pick in 2018 — the final part of that Nets bounty.
Everything about this trade is fascinating, but the inclusion of the Nets pick adds another layer of intrigue, particularly because it went from being untouchable to gone in a matter of minutes.
How valuable is that pick? Could the Cavs be walking away with Marvin Bagley III, Michael Porter Jr., or one of the other top prospects in the 2018 NBA Draft?
It all boils down to one question Cavaliers fans now must ask themselves: just how bad will the Nets be this season?
Brooklyn overhauled its roster this offseason
The Nets were the worst team in the NBA last year by four games, finishing just 20-62. When that painful season ended, Brooklyn GM Sean Marks took some dramatic steps to reshape the roster. Most notably:
- D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov were acquired from the Lakers in a trade for Brook Lopez and the No. 27 pick in the draft.
- DeMarre Carroll was acquired from the Raptors for a trade exception.
- Allan Crabbe was acquired from the Trail Blazers for a trade exception.
Russell now becomes the new leading man in Brooklyn. Crabbe and Carroll are each useful 3-and-D style wings, even if both are considered to be overpaid. Mozgov is another player on a bad contract, but he can at least add veteran stability to the Brooklyn frontcourt.
Add those new additions to a roster that already includes guard Jeremy Lin, young wings Caris LeVert, Sean Kilpatrick, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and a solid veteran forward in Trevor Booker, and suddenly the Nets look OK.
For an Eastern Conference team, anyway.
The Nets have no reason to tank. Many other teams do.
The great tank-off of 2018 has begun before the season even starts. There are at least eight teams that could gun for a high pick in a loaded 2018 NBA Draft:
- The Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to Minnesota and should be one of the worst teams in the NBA.
- The Hawks let Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague walk as free agents and appear content to rebuild through the draft.
- The Lakers lose their pick to the Celtics if it falls between No. 2 and No. 5. That means they also have an incentive to avoid tanking. LA added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brook Lopez over the offseason, in addition to marquee rookie point guard Lonzo Ball.
- The Knicks gave Tim Hardaway Jr. a billion dollars, but will still be bad. It’s also likely Carmelo Anthony still gets moved this offseason.
- The Pacers traded Paul George and now have a young team led by Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo.
- The Suns, Magic, and Kings have been upper-lottery staples in recent years and that shouldn’t change. The Suns are all in on #TheTimeline, while the Kings are entering a post-DeMarcus Cousins world.
The Nets, however, have no incentive to lose games at the end of the season. While teams like the Bulls, Hawks, and Knicks figure to be fighting for lottery odds, Brooklyn will be going out every night trying to win.
The Nets have a good coach in Kenny Atkinson. They have a lot of young players with something to prove. If Brooklyn is the eighth-worst team in the NBA instead of the worst, that pick becomes a lot less valuable.
What players could the Cavs be looking at in the draft?
Everything in Cleveland revolves around LeBron James. James is a free agent next year and the value of this Nets draft pick could be a big deciding factor in whether he chooses to stay or leave.
The Nets’ pick will certainly pop up in trade rumors as Cleveland looks to add talent for its fourth straight title run. But if the Cavs do keep the pick, these are some players they could target in the 2018 draft.
If the pick lands in the top five ...
Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. will be two names to monitor all year in college basketball. Both players are athletic 6’11 forwards who are considered to have star potential. Bagley is a superior inside scorer and rebounder, while Porter has more developed perimeter game. Either would be a great addition to Cleveland.
If Cleveland wants a center, Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton and Texas’ Mohamed Bamba would be great choices. Ayton is an agile big man with shooting ability, while Bamba and his historic 7’9 wingspan projects to offer elite rim protection. There’s also 6’8 Slovenian guard Luka Doncic, who could be the best prospect of the bunch.
If the pick lands outside the top five ...
The talent at the top of the 2018 draft will get all the attention, but there will be good players available throughout the lottery.
If Cleveland is looking for its next point guard with Thomas set to enter free agency, Alabama’s Collin Sexton or Duke’s Trevon Duval could help. If the Cavs want to pair (or replace?) James with another athletic wing, Michigan State’s Miles Bridges would fit. Big men like Mitchell Robinson or Texas A&M Robert Williams could also be available.
So what’s the verdict? How bad will the Nets be?
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton recently projected Brooklyn to win 29.5 games. That made them the fourth-worst team in the NBA, with Chicago, Sacramento, and Atlanta as the only three teams expected to have worse records.
That feels about right. Brooklyn is more likely to be the sixth-worst team in the NBA this year than the worst. Cleveland could still get a puncher’s chance at the No. 1 pick, but it probably won’t have amazing odds.
The Nets got better this offseason, and that makes Danny Ainge’s decision to part with their draft pick a lot easier to swallow. Combine that with the Celtics’ rights to the Lakers’ 2018 pick (if it lands between 2-5) or the 2019 Kings pick (top-1 protected) and you can see why Ainge finally decided to part with his final asset from Brooklyn.
The Nets might still be bad, but they won’t be that bad.
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