Nets owner Joe Tsai hints at longer-term approach, which could benefit Rockets’ future draft picks
The Houston Rockets already landed Tari Eason and the No. 3 overall pick (via Brooklyn) in the 2024 NBA draft as part of the January 2021 blockbuster trade involving James Harden.
But more assets from that Rockets-Nets deal are still to come over the ensuing years. Houston also owns unprotected pick-swap rights with Brooklyn in the 2025 and 2027 first rounds, along with another unprotected pick conveyance from Brooklyn in 2026.
With that in mind, the latest comments by Nets owner Joe Tsai could be very encouraging, from a Houston perspective.
When recently asked about his team at J.P. Morgan’s Global China Summit in Shanghai, Tsai said on stage:
I want to build a winning mentality and culture that’s sustainable. Those two are very different things. If you just want to be win-now, you could ruin your future by trading away all of your assets. But I think what I want to do with the Brooklyn Nets is take a longer-term approach and build a sustainable, winning culture.
“I want to build a winning mentality and culture that’s sustainable. Those two are very different things. If you just want to be win now you could ruin your future by trading away all of your assets but I think want I want to do with the Brooklyn Nets is take a
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— NetsPress (@NetsPressIG) May 24, 2024
With a team that went 32-50 in the 2023-24 season, that longer-term approach doesn’t suggest an immediate return to form. In turn, that could make those Houston draft assets more desirable.
On the other hand, it might also suggest a desire by the Nets to re-acquire their own draft picks from the Rockets — since those talented prospects could help build the culture that Tsai desires.
In a trade scenario for some or all of those Brooklyn assets, that could give the Rockets a path to acquiring Mikal Bridges (likely Brooklyn’s best player, at present). Or, they could pursue draft assets that stretch further out into the future — such as those that Brooklyn owns from Phoenix in the Kevin Durant trade from early 2023.
With Houston currently featuring a roster deep in young players, there’s a case to be made that pushing those draft assets further into the future could preserve the asset value over a longer period. After all, the valuation of any prospect who struggles to show his on-court value (even if it’s due to a deep rotation) is likely to decline some.
Or, the Rockets could simply stay the course with those Brooklyn picks, as is. Generally speaking, adding even more talented players than expected is a “good problem” to have in the NBA.
All in all, it’s a good place to be for Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, since each of these paths involve Houston adding even more talented players and/or draft assets to its stockpile. Stay tuned!
