On Tuesday, there were fresh rumors about the Houston Rockets and Mikal Bridges. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer reported that the Brooklyn Nets were in discussions with the Rockets about a potential trade, sending the No. 3 pick in the upcoming June 26 Draft (which originally belonged to the Nets) to Brooklyn in exchange for Bridges.
“O’Connor noted that the Rockets, according to his sources, are considering trade offers again and have been in talks with the Nets and the Grizzlies,” said O’Connor, whose draft insights are highly regarded in the NBA. “If the Rockets keep the No. 3 pick, they may select Donovan Clingan. If they move down to No. 9 or completely out of the draft altogether, they might acquire Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn.”
This speculation stirred up Nets fans, who questioned whether the organization was transitioning from a limited retooling effort to a full-scale rebuild. However, the Nets swiftly dismissed the O’Connor report, stating, “Nope, we’re not in talks,” shortly after its release.
Adding to the confusion, O’Connor’s mock draft made no mention of talks between the Nets and Rockets, only mentioning discussions between the Rockets and Grizzlies.
Got a firm denial on Rockets talks.
— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) June 4, 2024
“The Rockets are optimistic that the Nets might agree to trade Mikal Bridges,” added O’Connor. “However, the sources say the Nets prefer to build around Bridges instead.”
Despite multiple denials and the lack of concrete evidence, the possibility of a Bridges-to-Rockets trade continues to resurface. The Nets previously had opportunities to trade Bridges since acquiring him a year and a half ago, including an offer from Memphis for four first-round draft picks shortly after the trade was finalized. Additionally, Sean Marks stated that Bridges’ inclusion in the Kevin Durant trade was a deal-breaker.
Rumors also circulated from Houston, suggesting that the Rockets were willing to offer “several” of the remaining Nets draft assets they hold for Bridges. Other reports indicated that the Rockets were open to adding Jalen Green to the draft picks in a mega offer for Bridges or offering four to five first-round picks for him.
Additionally, there were talks of the Rockets considering swapping the remaining Nets draft assets for the Suns draft assets that the Nets hold, but these discussions never materialized.
Fans may debate whether a full rebuild is the smart move, but the underlying narrative doesn’t seem grounded. It’s unclear if the rumors originate from Houston to prompt Marks to engage or if the Nets are leaking the story to imply that a full rebuild is impending. Regardless, the organization typically keeps internal discussions tightly controlled.
Ultimately, the bottom line remains that the Brooklyn Nets are focused on building and developing around Mikal Bridges, along with key players like Nic Claxton, Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Noah Clowney, Day’ron Sharpe, and possibly Ben Simmons and Dariq Whitehead if they remain healthy.
While circumstances may change, especially around draft time, everything currently points to the team prioritizing building and developing for the future.
