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Nets Rumors: Ben Simmons, Cam Johnson, More on Trade Block After Bridges-Knicks Deal

Mike Chiari

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly could enter into a fire sale after agreeing to trade Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, league sources have said that any of Ben Simmons, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanović, Dennis Schröder or Day'Ron Sharpe could be the next to go as the Nets rebuild their roster.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported they're prioritizing draft capital:

The Nets are clearly looking ahead to the future, as they loaded up on draft picks in the Bridges trade, landing four unprotected first-round picks, the Milwaukee Bucks' top-four protected 2025 first-round pick, an unprotected 2028 pick swap and a 2025 second-round pick, per Wojnarowski.

In addition to the Bridges trade, Wojnarowski reported that the Nets dealt the Phoenix Suns' first-round picks in 2025 and 2027, plus a 2029 pick swap to the Houston Rockets for their own first-round picks in 2025 and 2026.

By getting back the picks they traded to the Rockets in the James Harden trade, the Nets will now have an incentive to be among the NBA's worst teams over the next couple of years, as they are in line to pick near the top of the 2025 and 2026 drafts.

Brooklyn can speed up its descent to the bottom of the standings by trading away some of the other desirable players on its roster leading up to the 2024-25 campaign.

The biggest name the Nets are rumored to be open to trading is Simmons, although it is fair to wonder if any team would be willing to take him.

Simmons was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, and he has accumulated plenty of accolades during his career, including three All-Star nods, two NBA All-Defensive Team selections, one All-NBA selection and an NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

However, Simmons' career has been derailed by injuries, as he has played in a total of just 57 games over the past three seasons combined and has not reached the 60-game mark since the 2018-19 campaign.

A back injury limited Simmons to just 15 contests last season, but even when he played, the Aussie struggled offensively with a career-low 6.1 points per game, although he did contribute 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

Simmons is scheduled to make over $40 million next season, so it is difficult to envision a team actively trading for him, although he could be an in-season trade candidate if he proves he can stay healthy, as a team may be more willing to gamble on him at a prorated salary.

Johnson is perhaps the most desirable trade chip still on the Nets' roster since he is signed for three more seasons and will make a far more palatable $23.6 million next season.

Along with Bridges, Johnson was a big part of the return in the trade that sent Kevin Durant from Brooklyn to the Phoenix Suns in 2023.

Johnson is among the NBA's best shooters from the power forward position, as he averaged 2.4 three-pointers made per game and shot 39.1 percent from beyond the arc last season, while also averaging 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest.

Finney-Smith, Bogdanović, Schröder and Sharpe should all have trade value as well since they could be quality role players for winning teams.

The Nets went all in several years ago when they signed both Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency, and they seemingly tried to do a quick retool after trading them in 2023, but on the heels of a disappointing 32-50 season in 2023-24, blowing up the roster and starting from scratch may now be Brooklyn's best course of action.

   

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