PORTLAND, Ore. — The Nets are in freefall heading into a West Coast trip having lost 13 of their last 16 games, but fans are calling for a change in the team's behavior. Any movement at first glance.
In the starting lineup. bystander. Or trade. They don't seem to care.
That's the cloud hanging over the team heading into Wednesday's game against the Trail Blazers.
The Nets have been terrible on both ends of the court, losing three straight and falling to 16-23 in eight of their last nine games.
But keep this in mind when betting on Brooklyn's plans: There's a general belief in New York that you can't really rebuild a team.
Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks appear to be on the same page.
Of course, they can reset, and that's what the Nets, and to some extent the Mets, are doing right now.
But ripping out the studs, as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz have done in recent years, would be financial suicide.
There are too many other entertainment options available to paying customers.
This influenced Brooklyn's thinking when it was forced to release Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant last February. He shunned the youth movement that was rebuilding the organization around Mikal Bridge and rejected all offers made to him.
And that will inform their decisions heading into next month's trade deadline.
That doesn't mean the Nets can't sell on the edge just because they can't sell on the core.
Veterans Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O'Neal — the three oldest players on the roster at 30 years old — have received varying degrees of interest both last offseason and in recent days.
It seems likely that at least one, if not two, will be moved in the coming weeks.
But Bridges is averaging a team-best 21.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists, all career highs.
He is a solid defender and is highly regarded within the company. Deal with him and he'll tear you to the studs.
On Wednesday night, the Nets will take on Portland at the Moda Center. The Trail Blazers are 10-29 in the midst of their own youth movement.
20-year-old Shaydon Sharpe missed Wednesday's game, and teenage rookie Scoot Henderson is averaging 15.9 points and five assists.
Despite all the rumors and connections, there is no evidence that Brooklyn was offered the No. 3 pick (which would be Henderson) for Bridges this offseason.
However, Nets officials confirmed that the team rejected an offer of four first-round draft picks for Bridges, and HoopShape later reported that the offer came from the Memphis Grizzlies.
Since then, Brooklyn's confidence in Bridges has only grown.
The same likely holds true for other similar big-money offers for Bridges.
Some fans are buying into the idea that the only way out of their current slump is for the Nets to recapture the draft capital they sent to Houston for James Harden. Would Tsai and Marks consider such a move?
Probably not.
Brooklyn sent three first-round picks (2022, 2024, 2026) and four more trade players (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027) to Houston for Harden.
The Rockets have already essentially used up the first half of their strength, and scouts widely consider this year's draft to be poor.
As of Tuesday, the Nets' pick this season is No. 8 overall, which means paying $4 million to $5 million for a so-so player.
And while the 2027 swap is worth getting back, Brooklyn already holds two other first-round picks that year — the unprotected Phoenix Suns pick acquired in the Durant deal. Kwon and two players selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with top-eight protection. Strengthen trade.
If the Nets can't rebuild because of how bad they are right now, they need to rebuild. At the right price.
Multiple reports have linked them to Atlanta's Dejounte Murray.
The Hawks are giving up three first-round picks and a trade player for Murray and are reportedly willing to move him now to acquire two first-round pitchers. Is the price right for the Nets?
Murray is better on the ball than off and has proven to be a shot creator. Dinwiddie's struggles and an astounding minus-90 over the past seven games is exactly what the Nets need.
For reference, Henderson was a league-worst minus-187 over that span, a stark reminder of how tough the growing pains are in a complete rebuild.
Don't expect the Nets to do it right away.
