We wont trade the Nets picks back to the Nets for Brooke Lopez, right?

[GetLucky]

This won't happen. However, I though of an interesting spin-off:
Would you trade the 2018 Nets pick straight-up for Brooke Lopez?

Think about it (and disregard salary cap rules/matching contracts for a second). The general consensus is that, by 2018, the Nets will have bought their way back into mediocrity. The general consensus this year is that the Nets will probably be bad, but anything is possible in the East. Would you trade the potentially-great-but-potentially-mediocre 2018 pick in order to make the Nets truly awful this year (thus improving our pick) and make the Celtics better in the short-term (for the assumed playoff run)?

[aingeforthree]

This won't happen. However, I though of an interesting spin-off:
Would you trade the 2018 Nets pick straight-up for Brooke Lopez?

Think about it (and disregard salary cap rules/matching contracts for a second). The general consensus is that, by 2018, the Nets will have bought their way back into mediocrity. The general consensus this year is that the Nets will probably be bad, but anything is possible in the East. Would you trade the potentially-great-but-potentially-mediocre 2018 pick in order to make the Nets truly awful this year (thus improving our pick) and making the Celtics better in the short-term (for the assumed playoff run)?

Yes, I would make that trade.  This is more likely.  One pick for Lopez.  Not all of them.

[crimson_stallion]

I would rather be castrated then offer ANY of our Nets first round picks for Brook Lopez.

I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in a 7 foot center who can't rebound, cant stretch the floor, and who has a season ending injury every other year.

The ONLY useful thing Lopez offers is scoring and I'm sorry, but his scoring isn't dominant enough to make up for all of his weaknesses. It's not like he's a DeMarcus Cousins / Anthony Davis caliber offensive player.

Hell, he actually had a slightly negative RPM last year (-0.6).  This suggests that suggests that as bad as the Nets were (their win differential indicates they were lucky to make the playoffs) they were actually slightly worse with him on the court then off it.

I think I'd give them their 2017 swap rights or 2018 pick back for Lopez. This year's pick stays.

Without Lopez, they'd be in pretty rough shape... and might even live up to the bottom 10 projections.   So I could see the logic in moving 2018 + the 2017 pick swap for Lopez.   He looked good the second half of last season... 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 53% shooting and 82% from the line.  I still don't think Brooklyn will be as bad as people think.

While I respect your opinion, I still have absolutely no clue in the world how you come to this conclusion.

Brook Lopez is basically the only standout player on that entire roster, after which the roster fills out with:
* One 'guy who is a pretty good' starter
* One guy who is an 'OK'starter
* One guy who is a 'weak starter / decent sixth man / good bench player'
* Two servicable bench guys
* None D-League calibre scrubs

Try as I may (and I really did try) I just cannot find any angle at which I can look at this team and see anything but a bottom 5-10 lottery team.  They are terrible.

I can only really think of three teams in the NBA who are as lacking depth as Brooklyn are - the first is the 76ers, the second is the Nuggets, and the third is the Knicks. 

Out of those three teams:
* The Sixers are horrible by design, so they will make sure they do worse
* The Knicks have a superstar (Carmelo) which instantly propels them above the Nets

So in my mind that basically leaves Brooklyn fighting Denver for the 2nd/3rd worst record in the NBA.

It sounds dramatic I know but seriously, look at all the other teams - all the ones who were really bad last year.  Every one of those teams either has significantly more depth than Brooklyn, significantly more potential (more players who are a treat to break out), or more star power.

For example:
* Orlando and Utah, are absolutely stacked with players who could potentiall have breakout years

* Boston lacks star power, but has probably one of the top 2-3 deepest teams in the league

* The Lakers have a star in Kobe, have some solid vets in BassWilliams/Hibbert, and have potential breakout guys in Randle/Clarkson/Russell AND have more depth than Brooklyn. 

* The Mavs have Dirk, Mathews, Ellis, Parsons - far more talent than Brooklyn

* The Wolves have Towns, Wiggins, Pekovic, Rubio, Lavine, Garnett, Dieng

* The Bucks are stacked with potential breakout talent

* The Pistons have far more depth and upside (Jackson, Jennings, Drummond, Morrus, Johnson, Ilysova, Meeks)

I could keep going on and on, but at the end of the day there are no more than maybe 3-5 teams (at best) who look as absolutely, utterly hopeless as the Nets.  They have minimal star power, absolutely no depth, and practically no players with breakout potential.  There is absolutely no bright spot on this team, really.  Throw in their lack of picks and lack of cap flexibility and they are in one of the worst positions of any team for probably the past 20 years.  To trade their 3 only half decent players (Johnson, Lopez and Young) for picks and is really about the only hope this team has of going anywhere in the next 3 years. 

[crimson_stallion]

I would rather be castrated then offer ANY of our Nets first round picks for Brook Lopez.

I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in a 7 foot center who can't rebound, cant stretch the floor, and who has a season ending injury every other year. I certainly have no interest in acquiring such a player if it comes at a cost of $20M a year for the next three years AND a potential lottery pick.

Unfortunately for the Nets I think most teams would look at it the same way.

I think I'd give them their 2017 swap rights or 2018 pick back for Lopez. This year's pick stays.

Without Lopez, they'd be in pretty rough shape... and might even live up to the bottom 10 projections.   So I could see the logic in moving 2018 + the 2017 pick swap for Lopez.   He looked good the second half of last season... 19.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks on 53% shooting and 82% from the line.  I still don't think Brooklyn will be as bad as people think.

While I respect your opinion, I still have absolutely no clue in the world how you come to this conclusion.

Brook Lopez (despite his obvious shortcomings) is basically the only standout player on that entire roster, after which the roster fills out with:

* One 'guy who is a pretty good' starter
* One guy who is an 'OK'starter
* One guy who is a weak starter / decent sixth man
* A couple of serviceable bench guys
* Eight or Nine D-League caliber guys

Try as I may (and I really did try) I just cannot find any angle at which I can look at this team and see anything but a bottom 5-10 lottery team.  They are terrible.

I can only really think of three other teams in the NBA who are as lacking depth as Brooklyn are - the first is the 76ers, the second is the Nuggets, and the third is the Knicks. 

Out of those three teams:
* The Sixers are horrible by design, so they will make sure they do worse
* The Knicks have a superstar (Carmelo) which instantly propels them above the Nets

So in my mind that basically leaves Brooklyn fighting Denver for the 2nd/3rd worst record in the NBA.

It sounds dramatic I know but seriously, look at all the other teams - all the ones who were really bad last year.  Every one of those teams either has significantly more depth than Brooklyn, significantly more potential (more players who are a threat to break out), or more star power.

For example:
* Orlando and Utah, are absolutely stacked with players who could potentiall have breakout years

* Boston lacks star power, but has probably one of the top 2-3 deepest teams in the league

* The Lakers have a star in Kobe, have some solid vets in BassWilliams/Hibbert, and have potential breakout guys in Randle/Clarkson/Russell AND have more depth than Brooklyn. 

* The Mavs have Dirk, Mathews, Ellis, Parsons - far more talent than Brooklyn

* The Wolves have Towns, Wiggins, Pekovic, Rubio, Lavine, Garnett, Dieng

* The Bucks are stacked with potential breakout talent

* The Pistons have far more depth and upside (Jackson, Jennings, Drummond, Morrus, Johnson, Ilysova, Meeks)

I could keep going on and on, but at the end of the day there are no more than maybe 3-5 teams (at best) who look as absolutely, utterly hopeless as the Nets.

They have minimal star power, absolutely no depth, and practically no players with breakout potential.  There is absolutely no bright spot on this team, really.  Throw in their lack of picks and lack of cap flexibility and they are in one of the worst positions of any team for probably the past 20 years. 

About the only way they can make any progress over the next 3 or so years is if they try to trade their 3 starting caliber players (Johnson, Lopez and Young) for picks and cap relief.  Even that is going to be pretty hard because teams know how desperate they are, so they will almost certainly get low-balled on every offer. 

[csfansince60s]

I wouldn't trade the '16 Nets pick back.

I wonder if the Nets bite on our pick this year (top 3 protected), the Mavs pick we own, the Minny pick we own and the '6ers second rounder this year plus Lee (expiring), Turner and their choice of sully or Olynyk?

They're gambling a bit but so are we with Lopez' huge contract and fragility.

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

No, Lopez is good but the C's have struck gold in this trade.

It's got the potential to be the Herschel Walker trade of the NBA. We'll be talking about this one along with the Harden trade for years to come.

[PhoSita]

I wouldn't trade the '16 Nets pick back.

I wonder if the Nets bite on our pick this year (top 3 protected), the Mavs pick we own, the Minny pick we own and the '6ers second rounder this year plus Lee (expiring), Turner and their choice of sully or Olynyk?

They're gambling a bit but so are we with Lopez' huge contract and fragility.

I really don't think Lopez is a fit for our team.  I think he's a decent player, but he would be out of place in our system.

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

The C's are tied to this teams failure, they're not taking back an oft injured Center to help them out.

[Big333223]

No, Lopez is good but the C's have struck gold in this trade.

It's got the potential to be the Herschel Walker trade of the NBA. We'll be talking about this one along with the Harden trade for years to come.

It all depends on who these picks turn into, though.

[dreamgreen]

Good God No!!!!!

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

No, Lopez is good but the C's have struck gold in this trade.

It's got the potential to be the Herschel Walker trade of the NBA. We'll be talking about this one along with the Harden trade for years to come.

It all depends on who these picks turn into, though.

Yeah, I mean if you pick a team full of Kwame Browns then it won't work.

But you're gonna get some really good looks at some really good players.