One move the Nets have to make this offseason

 The Brooklyn Nets are in NBA purgatory. They're not in a full rebuild, but they're not that far outside the playoff chase, either.

A few roster tweaks and additions, and there's no reason to think the Nets can't be in competition for a play –in spot next season. 

With former Kings highly regarded assistant coach joining in Jordi Fernandez, he's still a neophyte head coach, leaving plenty more questions than answers surrounding this franchise. 

So when evaluating all the coaching staff changes already made including the departure of assistants Kevin Ollie, Will Weaver and Ronnie Burrell along with the additions of Juwan Howard and Steve Hetzel, there will be an entirely new organizational philosophy. 

The Nets may be a player in free agency and dip their toe in the trade market, especially monitoring the statuses of Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and others. 

But after it all, the 1,000 pound gorilla in the room is the albatross that is Ben Simmons' contract. 

As an expiring 40.34 million asset, the often injured Simmons will likely never regain his All-Star form. But he could provide value to teams looking to clear salary off the books. 

If Sean Marks has his wits about him, he is floating Simmons out to teams as an expiring and looking to possibly net another co-star for Mikal Bridges.

Simmons' time with Brooklyn has been marred by injury and his future in the NBA is in serious jeopardy. 

It's time for the Brooklyn Nets to make Simmons another team's problem and maximize his expiring contract to bring back pieces that can help this team win now. 

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Trading for a Knick killer could swing pendulum back in Nets' favor

The New York Knicks are playing like superheroes in the 2024 playoffs. After knocking off the 76ers in the opening round, New York will rest upb and prepare to take on Indiana at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of the semi-finals.

While one New York basketball team prepares for a deep playoff run, the other will pick up the broken pieces from its lost season.

The Brooklyn Nets are stuck between a rock and a hard place. They don't own a draft pick in 2024 and general manager Sean Marks has reportedly passed on several opportunities to hit the hard reset button by refusing multiple first round draft picks for Mikal Bridges as well as for Dorian Finney-Smith. 

So with Brooklyn in a retooling phase, adding a marque player via trade may be the most logical route back to contention.

A player often connected to wanting out of his current situation is a noted coach killer and Knicks killer.

That player, none other than Trae Young, may be just what the doctor ordered for Brooklyn.

While Dennis Schröder was a pleasant surprise after adding him at the trade deadline in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn is in dire need of a franchise point guard.

Young fits that bill. Having ousted the Knicks out of the playoffs in 2022, the Atlanta point guard in public enemy number one for New York. 

Young has also developed a reputation as a difficult player to coach, having run Lloyd Pierce and Nate McMillan out of Atlanta.

With Young wearing out his welcome down South, a Nets-Hawks swap might just propel Brooklyn back to relevancy and close the talent gap in the New York City basketball rivalry. 

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