B/R suggests Brooklyn Nets trade Joe Harris and picks for Spurs’ Zach Collins and Josh Richardson
With the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 9, the Brooklyn Nets are running out of time to make their roster better through trading. Brooklyn has been linked to some frontcourt players like Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins, Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid, and Milwaukee Bucks center Serge Ibaka.
These days, websites are filled with ideas of mock trades in how teams can get better and what moves would allow for those improvements to happen. The Nets are no exception.
With that being said, there is a new mock trade to review. It’s no secret that Brooklyn could stand to add some depth to its frontcourt given that MIP candidate Nic Claxton is the team’s only true big in the usual rotation. Day’Ron Sharpe is another big on the team, but he has only shown flashes when given extended time. Here’s what B/R laid out as a trade for the Nets to get better:
The Mock Trade
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Zach Collins, Josh Richardson.
San Antonio Spurs Receive: Joe Harris, Patty Mills, Philadelphia’s 2027 first-round pick (top-eight protection through 2028; turns into 2028 second if not conveyed).
Should the Nets Do This Trade?
While Zach Collins and Josh Richardson would be good additions to a Nets team looking for depth in the frontcourt, it remains to be seen if those players would fit better than Joe Harris and Patty Mills. Collins would give the team another big to turn to if Nic Claxton gets in foul trouble or if he gets hurt. Richardson has had a good season with the Spurs thus far and he would help fill the void of Harris. Also, parting with Philadelphia’s 2027 first-round pick wouldn’t be that big of a loss. If this was the price, Brooklyn should do this deal.
What B/R thinks of the trade
“Shipping out a first-round pick in exchange for Collins and Richardson will seem like overkill to many. It’s not.
Collins is, somewhat quietly, churning out a career year. He’s hitting 58.3 percent of his twos and 36.7 percent of his triples while holding opponents to 50.5 percent shooting at the rim—the league’s fourth-best mark among 152 players who have contested at least 100 point-blank opportunities. Getting him and his $7.7 million salary (non-guaranteed) is a friggin’ steal. He pairs perfectly with either Ben Simmons or Nicolas Claxton up front and can absorb plenty of long-big reps.
Richardson was on a heater before a knee injury forced him to the sidelines for a couple of games. His offense remains plug-and-play, and he will noticeably lighten the defensive workloads of Royce O’Neale and healthy Kevin Durant.”
