The Brooklyn Nets will forever be haunted by the Boston Celtics trade that landed them an aging Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett duo in 2013 for future picks that were used to select Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who became the foundational stars of a championship team.
Armed with the largest cap space this summer, the Nets can turn the tables this time around and leverage on the Celtics’ financial crunch amid the crippling new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Bleacher Report’s salary cap expert Eric Pincus floated a three-team trade wherein the Nets facilitate a deal for the Celtics to offload some of their big contracts while gaining draft assets in return.
Here is Pincus’ trade proposal:
Dallas Mavericks receive: Jrue Holiday (from Celtics), $3 million trade exception (Olivier-Maxence Prosper)
Boston Celtics receive: Daniel Gafford (from Mavericks), PJ Washington (from Mavericks), Drew Timme (from Nets), $32.4 million trade exception (Holiday), $2.5 million trade exception (Xavier Tillman Sr.), $2.4 million trade exception (Neemias Queta), $2.2 million trade exception (Porziņģis)
Brooklyn Nets receive: Kristaps Porziņģis (from Celtics), Dwight Powell (from Mavericks), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (from Mavericks), Xavier Tillman Sr. (from Celtics), Neemias Queta (from Celtics), 2026 protected first-round pick (from Celtics), 2027 first-round pick swap (from Celtics)
“Assuming Boston is committed to resuming the Jaylen Brown/Tatum pairing in 2026-27, the only move to reduce salary is by getting out of the next two most expensive players in Holiday and Porziņģis,” Pincus wrote.
Flip or Keep
This is where the Nets enter as the facilitator of a complex deal that will offload the remaining three years and $104 million salary of Holiday and Porziņģis’ expiring $30.7 million salary.
“The Nets get looks at Prosper, Queta and Tillman, the draft compensation and most of the salary needed to get to the floor. Brooklyn would still have about $12.7 million in cap room, assuming Ziaire Williams is retained at a salary equal to his qualifying offer ($8.7 million). Cam Thomas hits the cap at $12.1 million as a restricted free agent, but can re-sign for more after the Nets use their remaining flexibility,” Pincus wrote.
The Nets may run into issue of roster space, but Pincus noted that the Nets are in a “strong position” to make more trades involving their veteran holdovers to accumulate more draft assets. Plus, they could also flip Porziņģis, Powell, Tillman and Queta in another trade to extract more value.
“At worst, the Nets would just waive Powell, Tillman or others. Porziņģis could be a buyout candidate or even a player Brooklyn retains long-term,” Pincus wrote.
Nets Will Use Cap Space on Trades, Not RFAs
GettyJonathan Kuminga #00 of the Golden State Warriors slam dunks against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Chase Center
In the past, the Nets have thrown offer sheets at restricted free agents like Allen Crabbe, Tyler Johnson and Otto Porter Jr.
They’re done doing that as the Nets are being prudent with their cap room based on the latest intel gathered by Anthony Slater of The Athletic in terms of the Nets as a potential landing spot for the Golden State Warriors‘ restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
“There is not a current expectation that the Brooklyn Nets are preparing an offer sheet for Kuminga, but there are signs Brooklyn could be willing to use its open cap space as a vehicle to execute multi-team trade scenarios this summer, league sources said,” Slater wrote. “That could open up several avenues and possible suitors for Kuminga, one of the market’s most intriguing names.”
Kuminga has been linked to the Nets at the trade deadline, but they prefer to have flexibility and get into asset accumulation rather than strapping themselves to a young player who is not viewed as a foundational star of a championship team.
“The opportunity cost of using their $45 million in cap space on available targets such as Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes and Santi Aldama could be too high…Despite Kuminga regularly being linked to the Nets, it seems unlikely,” New York Post’s Brian Lewis wrote.
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Nets Trade 3-Team Trade Pitch That Takes Advantage of Celtics’ Financial Woes