Summer Stunners

It no longer seems to be a secret that the New Jersey Nets are likely to be very active this offseason. GM Billy King has publicly said that the Nets are already trying to move up in the draft (smart move, trying to keep the Nets in the news as much as possible). Besides the draft, there is also plenty of free agent speculation, with names such Andrei Kirilenko, Jeff Green, Glen Davis, and now J.R. Smith coming up. The Nets have plenty on their radar. 

But with the new CBA, it is apparent that there will be some changes, even severe ones. Some good, some bad for the Nets. That's why the time is now if Billy King wants to make some headlines via trades.  So I give this fanpost of players we could trade for, though most are unlikely. But hey, we can dream, right?

This is one is obvious. Take Brook Lopez, the second or third best center in the East, and package him for the best center in the East, one who has yet to sign a contract extension, which he seems to claim doesn't exist. Ric Bucher recently said this in a chat: 

 ...it all depends on Dwight telling them he wants to be traded. That, to my knowledge, hasn’t happened yet. But I’ve been reassured that he is not signing the offered extension.

Take a look at that last sentence. I might be misinterpreting this, but Bucher seems to say he is positively sure of it that Dwight will not sign the offered extension with the Magic. If the Magic are not going to offer up anything better than what they say they have offered Howard, Otis Smith knows what he needs to do. It's time to trade. Our biggest competition for Dwight seems to be the Lakers, as they could offer up anything from Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, or even Lamar Odom. It also makes sense that if the Magic trade him, it is to a west coast team. A word of advice: even though it is much too hard, I do not think we should get to high on this. The more and more you look into it, I think, it seems like he will be Laker. I can only hope I am wrong.

This one is quite stunning. That's why I named this fanpost "Summer Stunners." See what I did there? Though this one is unlikely, there is no denying what an impact it would have on this franchise. Josh Smith is a glorious power forward, who I think we could have play the three slot at times as well. He brings stamina, defensive presence, and most of all #swag. It is hard to figure out who exactly we'd trade in this one. Brook seems like too much, and we'd have a black hole at center, that is unless we acquire someone like Nene Hilario via free agency. You would think Kris Humphries would be involved in this deal. It was said that if the Hawks made an early playoff exit, they could do something stupid and push the panic button. For example, trading Josh Smith. Im not sure if you could call a second round exit "early", but it certainly was not what the Hawks were hoping for.

This is a guy I have been hoping to go after for at least a year now. His production for the Indiana Pacers has been undeniable. Watching a few Pacers games, it is easy to see that at times it looks like Danny Granger is the Pacers. Though this is also highly unlikely, there is no doubt he fills our need for a small forward that you can count on. If it turns out that in the new CBA there is an amnesty clause, ridding this franchise of Travis Outlaw could do wonders for us. In recent news, Granger's name has popped up in a trade scenario between the Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves, involving this year's number 2 pick in the draft, along with the rights to Ricky Rubio. So Granger may be shipped out to play with Kevin Love. This is also one of those guys I am unsure of whom the Nets could package for. Something I found interesting is how Kris Humphries' PER is the exact same as Mr. Granger's.

OR

These were two guys the Golden State Warriors were supposedly dangling late in this past season when they realized they were not going to make the playoffs. When I first heard the rumors about these two, I could not help but scratch my head. Why would the Warriors feel the need to part with either? It is likely because they were getting ready to push the panic button way too early. Here are two young scorers, though undersized, that have propelled the Warriors throughout the season. There really is no question that the Nets could use more efficient wing players that can shoot the lights out. We need scorers, period. I like Anthony Morrow a lot, but in truth, I do not see him as a starting shooting guard on a team that wants to make deep playoff runs. The two Warriors guards are probably the least likely to be traded out of the bunch I have have named, as the rumors have certainly cooled down since the end of the regular season. It is also too difficult to put together a trade for either, as there is no way you trade bigs for wing players, and there is not much we can offer besides Morrow, Jordan Farmar, or Damion James.

LOLOL JK

So in conclusion, there are plenty of guys we all would love to see on the Nets, despite how ridiculously difficult it would be to trade for them. Nets fans are dreamers. Even though these suggestions I have made are terribly unlikely, their names have popped up in rumors at different points in the season (most late in the season). I think the vast majority of us have enjoyed Billy King's time as Nets' GM, and he is certainly capable of making big time moves (See: Deron Williams trade). 

In the end, I believe we have a very exciting and fun offseason ahead. Do not think of it as a failure if we are unable to acquire Dwight Howard. I am still hoping for him to come to Brooklyn in free agency next offseason. It seems this offseason though should be quite an enjoyable one.

Hopefully.