3 trade options to give Mikal Bridges a new home

When the Brooklyn Nets landed Mikal Bridges in the Kevin Durant trade, it looked like they'd found a game-changer. Over the rest of that season, he averaged 26.1 points per game on a 60.7 true shooting percentage and flasged potential as a lead scorer and primary creator.

But in his first full season with the Nets, his scoring volume and efficiency fell by big margins and he often looked overmatched in that offensive role. He's still a highly effective player on a great contract and the Nets certainly don't have to trade him this offseason. But he also doesn't look like the same foundational building block and he's going to draw a ton of interest. Flipping him for a package that lets them reset and refocus for their future is definitely worth exploring and these deals could work for everyone.

3. Mikal Bridges to the Cavaliers

One of the problems the Nets currently face is that Bridges, as a potential centerpiece of a competitive team, is meaningfully older than the rest of their hypothetical core. Bridges will be 28 by the beginning of next season. Cam Thomas will turn 23, Nic Claxton will be 25, Noah Clowney will be 20, Day'ron Sharpe will be 22. His timeline just doesn't line up with the rest of this team and there's not a clear path to them turning over the younger group into a more competitive, older rotation during Bridges' prime.

The Nets would certainly like to get some picks back in a Bridges trade but swapping him essentially straight-up for Darius Garland works in other ways. Garland doesn't have the same two-way upside but his hypothetical ceiling could be higher than Bridges and he has the potential to be the offensive engine for a competitive team. He's also just 24 and his timeline blends with the rest of their young players. They get another potential star to build around and the flexibility to do it at a more reasonable pace.

For Bridges, ending up with the Cavs could be an ideal fit. The Cavs roster is in flux with Garland and Jarrett Allen potentially on the trading block. But playing with Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell puts him in a spot where he'd have a good deal of offensive responsibility but not have to shoulder the primary creator load the way he has in Brooklyn. Mitchell-Bridges-Mobley plus the existing depth and whatever they get for Allen is the bones of one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

2. Mikal Bridges to the Thunder

In an ideal world, the Nets would get a package that returns talented young players and significant draft assets. This checks both boxes but not necessarily in the most inspiring way. Giddey still has plenty of upside but the way he was played off the floor in some postseason matchups makes him a lot less appealing as an asset than he was a year ago. Ousmane Dieng is almost all raw upside but he has started to play some minutes and could be ready for a bigger role. Neither is a young star but there's potential that they could be very good.

In terms of draft picks, they'd get the No. 12 pick in this year's draft and Utah's 2025 pick from the Thunder, which is protected 1-10. That's two picks that are essentially locked into the late lottery but it's better off than what the Nets have now.

In Oklahoma City, Bridges would have a huge two-way role, an elite primary creator to share offensive responsibility with, fantastic defensive teammates around him and a chance to compete for a title over the next few years. From his perspective, this might be the best case scenario for a trade.

1. Mikal Bridges to the Warriors

The Warriors need to come up with something big this offseason — they might lose Klay Thompson and development from Brandin Podziemski, Jonthan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis is nowhere near enough to get them back to contention. Bridges is under contract for two more years at an extremely reasonable figure and even but Draymond Green would be coming off their books by the time they'd have to re-sign him.

On paper, he'd be a huge upgrade over Andrew Wiggins — a better defender and better outside shooter with just as much complementary play-making, and at a much lower cost. However, to get him they'd have to put a lot on the table and evern what I've laid out here — Moses Moody and a pair of first-round picks might not be enough to turn Wiggins into Bridges. Their willingness to remove protections from those picks could be what makes or breaks a deal. But for Wiggins, it's a chance to play with elite teammates in a system that's perfectly tuned to his skillset and a chance to fight for a deep playoff run.

For the Nets, this would be a gamble. Wiggins has very little value for them so a lot of it would depend on how confident they were that they could flip him for something else. Moody is a talented young wing with 3-and-D potential who, for somewhat inexplicable reasons, hasn't given consistent minutes in the Warriors rotation. In addition, they'd pick up two picks that could be extremely valuable if this Golden State team comes apart at the seams.