The heartbeat of the NBA pulses with the rise and fall of its superstars. For teams, the quest to secure these icons or build around them defines their trajectory. Enter the Brooklyn Nets, currently residing in the latter camp.
Since the seismic shift of trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2023, the Nets have navigated a landscape marked by high-caliber role players and a cache of draft picks. Yet, the absence of a guiding star has left the team in a state of flux, struggling to carve out a definitive identity. With a lackluster 32-50 record this season, their poorest showing since 2017-18, General Manager Sean Marks faces mounting pressure to steer the franchise towards a luminous future.
Amid swirling rumors of star acquisitions, uncertainty blankets the futures of nearly every Net, barring Mikal Bridges. Dennis Schroder, a recent addition to Brooklyn’s ranks, shed light on the team’s predicament in an interview with the German publication, Braunschweiger Zeitung.
“Brooklyn is a really cool, great organization, quite family-oriented. I’d definitely like to stick around for the long haul. My agent and I feel like the Nets liked how I contributed. I’ve brought in more defense, teamwork and displayed leadership, but if someone as exceptional as Giannis Antetokounmpo or another superstar wants to join Brooklyn, the Nets could make deals to acquire that player … and that’s why nothing is certain in the NBA,” Dennis Schroder said.
Schroder’s tenure with the Nets has seen him average 14.6 points and 6.0 assists across 29 appearances, exhibiting a commendable 42/41/80 shooting split. However, his name, alongside Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith, now dances on the periphery of trade discussions. With Schroder’s contract set to expire in 2024-25 at $13 million, and Johnson and Finney-Smith carrying respective salaries of $23.6 million and $14.9 million, the trio represents viable assets in potential trade scenarios.