Though the Nets acquired Julius Randle in an effort to become more competitive this season, there are bigger moves<\/a> the Nets could’ve made this offseason<\/a>, ESPN’s Ben Golliver writes.<\/p>\n “The\u00a0Houston Rockets<\/a>\u00a0own the right to swap 2027 first-round picks with the Nets, so Brooklyn entered the summer with motivation to take a big swing,” Golliver wrote. “If the Nets’ ongoing youth movement was unlikely to deliver a lottery pick next June, why not dangle some of their future draft assets in trades that could help them be more competitive after a dismal 20-win campaign?”<\/p>\n It’s understandable to want the Nets to make a playoff push in a season where tanking wouldn’t get them anywhere, especially after being out of the postseason picture for the last several years.<\/p>\n However, there’s no use in parting ways for future assets that won’t help the team get over the top in the near future or even years out from now.<\/p>\n The worst place for teams to be is in the middle, where you’re either a lower-seeded playoff team or a few games out of a playoff spot.<\/p>\n The Nets could’ve gotten into the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, but that would’ve put a ton of pressure on the organization to win a championship within the next couple of seasons before the 31-year-old’s body starts to break down even further.<\/p>\n The NBA is a very volatile league. You never know which contending team will start to implode, especially in the apron era.<\/p>\n That’s why it’s important to hold onto your assets for as long as possible, for when a game-changing superstar becomes available, as Nets GM Sean Marks has hinted<\/a> at the team’s flexibility.<\/p>\n Are there times when the Nets should’ve been more willing to part with their draft picks? Absolutely.<\/p>\n Just last year, the Nets drafted five players in the first round, an NBA record. It’s hard to expect all five players to pan out, so it is at least a little confusing why Marks didn’t move a couple of those picks to trade up in the draft or land a young player with decent upside.<\/p>\n
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