HoopsHype: Nets will trade either Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O’Neale
The Brooklyn Nets are expected to trade Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O’Neale because of how much wing depth they have, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. While the Nets have a lot of wings on the team, Scotto notes that NBA executives believe that Brooklyn is not trading Mikal Bridges under any circumstances.
It will be an interesting offseason for Brooklyn for many reasons including how the team decides to retool for next season. One of the curious aspects of the organization after trading superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving was how wing heavy the squad. While that level of depth on the wing gave the Nets more versatility than most teams, it was evident that the team lacked quality guard depth and frontcourt depth at the same time.
Nets general manager Sean Marks noted during his exit interview on Sunday that Brooklyn needs to get bigger in the frontcourt if it wants to be competitive with the better teams in the Eastern Conference. The Nets could start their journey towards balancing the team by trading Finney-Smith and/or O’Neale. HoopsHype has more:
“‘The Nets have cornered the market on 3-and-D wings,’ an NBA executive told HoopsHype.
During a frantic trade deadline following the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade, the Nets fielded trade interest in several of their wing players, including Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale.
Ahead of the trade deadline, Brooklyn had offers to flip Finney-Smith for two first-round picks and could’ve gotten a first-round pick in exchange for O’Neale, league sources told HoopsHype.
While many rival executives around the league are convinced Bridges isn’t going anywhere, there’s a belief the Nets could break up their surplus of wing depth and trade either Finney-Smith or O’Neale. Various teams around the league, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, are expected to pursue potential 3-and-D wings this summer.”
