Teams are often distracted as trade deadlines approach.
If anything, it seems that the internet has been decided.
Before the Nets' Wednesday night's debacle against the Wizard (the last before the deadline), they won three consecutive games of the season's best.
However, they ended up stumbling on the league's most disastrous team, failing to win in their fourth straight, the longest winning streak since 2022-23, which was awfully short.
And this is already trading Dennis Schroeder and Dorian Finney Smith in the season they tank, but Cam Johnson, Dayron Sharp and Nick Claxton are all related to trade rumors. It's there.
However, all three were suitable for Wednesday and were available a few hours before the deadline.
Sources told the post that Brooklyn wasn't shopping for Johnson and hasn't yet shopped it.
All situations are fluid around deadlines, but another team had to turn the net heads at the last minute with offers as they hadn't made a call.
However, Johnson's name has been constantly rumoured since the start of the season, and they only grew when Schroeder and Finney Smith were shipped to the Warriors and Lakers, respectively.
At this point, blocking rumors has almost become an old hat for Johnson, Sharp, Claxton and other nets. Schroeder became jazz as part of Wednesday's Jimmy Butler trade.
Holmes during the Nets' 119-102 defeat to the Wizard on February 5, 2025. Jason Sennes of the New York Post
“I think our group handled it well, because if you think about it, our group was involved in the discussions from the start, right?” Coach Jordi Fernandez said. “I think that's why they just keep working and continuing to compete, and these last days. [are] It's not the same as a few weeks ago when some transactions happened.
“So the fact that we've been involved in things, I think we made it. [it] It's like normal for us. And you saw it [Tuesday];Everyone plays hard and we expect our guys to play hard. Obviously, no matter what someone needs to talk to, if they have questions or what happens, we are open to talking to them as usual. It's part of the business and there's a few hours left here. ”
The trade deadline is 3pm on Thursday.
Net general manager Shawn Marks loves to operate in stealth mode, and was particularly pleased to prevent the media and conflicting front office from guessing the next move, reading the room, Tea Leaf said, which direction he was in. You can give some hints as to whether you are leaning towards.
Listening to sources around the league and, more importantly, seeing what the net actually does suggest there is no impending earthquake.
Johnson had missed six consecutive games with an ankle injury, but was also linked by trade rumors.
However, he played for the first time since January 21st after Johnson told the post that he was sure he would come to him if something had been brewed.
That return was a sure sign that he was not moved.
“It's great to have [Johnson]Fernandez said. “For obvious reasons, whenever we have the opportunity to put him in the lineup, it's always great to have him. If you show leadership in the right way, he gets attention and makes everyone's life easier. Not only is his teammate, but me too. So it's great to have him, a great connector, a great leader.”
If the net was meant to move Johnson or seriously considered the offer, they were wizards, especially after he missed 15 of the previous 18 games and made viable excuses to sit down. It's unlikely to play him against.
Claxton launched his victory over the Rockets Tuesday despite a broken nose in his previous game at Houston. And despite being suspected of a hamstring injury, Sharp was available.
Claxton said these nets were not distracted by trade talks at all.
“If a lot of people see them playing now, they have nothing to lose, so we're just going out and playing as hard as we can. [anything] To lose,” Claxton said. “It's a great opportunity for a lot of players and they're using it to do a great job, and that's where we're with it.”
