Should the Nets go all-in for a superstar this offseason?

The Nets enter this offseason facing a fork in the road. After moving on from the superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden all within a year, the team seems to have a chance to re-enter the superstar sweepstakes.

Though it is enticing to pursue a blockbuster deal for a star, it might not make sense for the Nets to throw all their chips in a pursuit for contention.

After the draft on Thursday, Nets GM Sean Marks said the team was looking to compete, a notion that didn’t really seem possible when the team tore apart its core at the trade deadline.

Part of the reason the Nets want to be competitive is because they owe their 2024 and 2026 first-round picks to the Houston Rockets, and the Rockets have the right to swap first-round picks with Brooklyn in 2025 and 2027.

With no control of their own picks for the next four drafts, it behooves the Nets to compete since they have no incentive to lose.

Though Brooklyn doesn’t have their originally owned picks for the foreseeable future, the team has been able to replace those with several draft picks acquired from dealing Durant, Irving and Harden.

Brooklyn has added a future first-round pick from Philadelphia, a first-round pick from Dallas and three more from Phoenix as well as swap rights in 2028.

In the words of singer Kenny Rogers, Brooklyn will “have to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.” Making the decision to go all-in and use their collection of assets is risky.

Brooklyn has one established building block in Mikal Bridges. Acquired in the Durant blockbuster deal, Bridges was a revelation, averaging 26.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 27 games.

The Nets have been tied to Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard since Lillard included the franchise in his short list of teams he would want to be traded to hypothetically earlier this month.

Even if Lillard becomes available, the asking price will be very steep. The Nets have the assets and players to make a deal for the star guard, but it could severely hurt their depth.

Ben Simmons is also a question mark on the roster after a season of injury and ineffectiveness. Simmons is owed over $78 million in the next two years.

Lillard is set to turn 33 next month. His age doesn’t align much with Brooklyn’s current core. Bridges will turn 27 later this summer. Cam Johnson, a restricted free agent, is 27 and Nic Claxton just turned 23. Though he would provide a boost with his scoring and shooting ability, a trade wouldn’t move Brooklyn up much in a crowded Eastern Conference.

Brooklyn went 12-15 after Bridges and Johnson arrived. It’s not like the team was on the cusp of becoming a contender. Even if they were able to add another star such as Lillard, there’s still a lot of work to be done to build out Brooklyn’s roster.

The safe approach

If the Nets are conservative, there’s some low-hanging fruit moves the team can make.

First is the re-signing of Johnson. The forward flourished in an elevated role and played well in the playoffs, averaging 18.5 points on 50.9 percent from the field.

Johnson is expected to be one of the top free agents on the market. If a team makes a killer offer, will the Nets be able to stomach it? The team might have to explore trading spare parts such as Joe Harris to avoid the luxury tax in that case.

Brooklyn was dominated in the paint in the regular season. The Nets were second to last in defensive rebounding rate (68.9 percent).

That trend continued in the playoffs as the Philadelphia 76ers swept Brooklyn in four games during the first round. The 76ers outrebounded the Nets 194-140—which included a 30-rebound edge on the offensive glass—and outscored them 180-142 in the paint.

The Nets have already addressed a lack of size by selecting 6-foot-10 forward Noah Clowney with the 21st pick of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Brooklyn also could use another playmaking guard on the roster. The Nets have a glut at both forward positions and could make a trade to even out its roster and take ball-handling pressure off Bridges and Spencer Dinwiddie. Coach Jacque Vaughn could also explore playing young guard Cam Thomas more.

For Brooklyn, focusing on its current core would be the smarter play. Putting all the chips in while the team is still not ready for a push could be damaging. The most realistic option is keep the young core together while making tweaks over the next year.