7 Zach LaVine trades that tilt the balance of power in the NBA
2. Zach LaVine to the Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets don’t have many of their own picks to trade, but they do have an intriguing assortment of picks coming in from teams chasing championships right now, and they desperately need some offensive firepower.
The Nets currently have the eighth-ranked offense, but that’s primarily due to massive 3-point shooting over performance. When their shooting starts to normalize, their offensive rating will slide, as they’re not particularly good at generating free throws or grabbing offensive boards. While Zach LaVine won’t stop the rest of the roster from regressing, he would help their offense continue to hang around the top ten.
Zach LaVine to Nets
A straight swap of Ben Simmons and three unprotected first-round picks for LaVine should be an enticing offer for Chicago. Simmons is viewed as a negative asset, but he makes less than LaVine over this season and the next two. While a bounceback for Simmons is looking increasingly unlikely, he has made an All-NBA team. Taking a flier on him plus three interesting picks from different teams is the exact type of move rebuilding teams should make.
The Nets might not want to move their assets just yet, but if they’re interested in competing while Mikal Bridges is on one of the best deals in the sport, they need to act fast. He only has two more years after this season left on his deal, and once he lands a massive raise, acquiring a player of LaVine’s quality becomes more difficult.