One virtue is patience. As Sean Marks, general manager of the Brooklyn Nets, canvassed the trade market for Mikal Bridges during the past year, he took to heart this proverb. It was widely believed in the league that Bridges would demand a king’s ransom to be lured away after Marks rejected many bids for the 27-year-old.
That was satisfied by the five first-round picks, one first-round pick trade, and one second-round pick offered by the New York Knicks. Before accepting the deal with the Knicks, Brooklyn had been in serious talks with a number of teams, including the Utah Jazz, league sources told ClutchPoints. Although it was a shocking move to send his best player to his competitor across town, Marks realized that New York’s offer was too excellent to refuse.
We were considering our options as a group, as a company, and in light of the circumstances. Mikal was the center of attention for this organization for the entire year following the move, so it’s a tough decision, the general manager stated on Monday. However, having an offer like the one we received from New York also puts us in a very clear position to keep building this team and achieve long-term success, which is our ultimate objective. This was, in terms of the specific agreement, the best bargain available to our organization at the time.
Jordi Fernandez was informed by the Nets that a rebuild may be possible.
Sean Marks insisted that Bridges had not asked for a trade to New York, unlike what some publications claimed, and stated the deal came together relatively quickly. In order to retake ownership of their 2025 and 2026 draft picks, the Nets struck a simultaneous deal with the Houston Rockets, opening the door for a complete rebuild.
Brooklyn has shown over the past year that they wanted to stay competitive by matching Bridges with a star. from who that star may be remained a mystery, and Marks understood that finding one was anything from a given. As a result, exchanging Bridges and resetting became feasible.
It may be challenging to convince potential head coaches of this lack of clarity. It may provide insight into why Brooklyn selected Jordi Fernandez, an up-and-coming coach, for the position rather than seasoned Mike Budenholzer. Marks let Fernandez know that a rebuild might be imminent even if he was ready to go for stardom this summer.
“When hiring a coach, it’s crucial to be honest,” Marks stated. For them to understand that there are numerous options available to them. We were aware that this might be one of our options given the flexibility we had with the roster, the salary cap, and the wages we had. We will not back down from
Sean Marks will learn from the last redevelopment in Brooklyn.
Marks has experience reconstructing. In fewer than four seasons, he turned Brooklyn into a contender even though he did not own the team’s draft choices. It took ingenuity to do things like trade for D’Angelo Russell, a castoff top selection, to make a splash with unheralded additions like Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris, or to trade in older veterans Bojan Bogdanović and Thaddeus Young for draft picks that ended up being Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.
The playbook will contain the same moves, but this time Marks will have access to fifteen first-round selections spread over the next seven years. Next summer, the Nets will have access to over $80 million in cap space, which they may utilize to add players or take on undesired contracts in exchange for additional draft picks.
“I believe we learned a lot the first time we built this,” Marks remarked. “During the first few years, we were innovative in some of the signings and deals that we made, and we built through offer sheets and cap space. We will try to apply that in the same way that we already do it. However, as previously mentioned, we were short on draft picks in that year. Yes, I do
How much time will it take to rebuild?
After trading for Kevin Durant and then swapping Bridges, Sean Marks amassed a stash of draft picks, but none were more valuable than his own in 2025 and 2026. Since Derrick Favors was chosen third overall in the 2011 lottery, the Nets have not made a lottery selection. They are currently in a great position to pick first in a highly competitive 2025 draft.
Without a doubt, Marks’ decision to turn around and rebuild was influenced by the potential in the 2025 and 2026 classes, and Brooklyn may have five picks in the top 40 the next year.
It always depends on the [quality of the draft]. We always try to navigate by looking two, three, or four years ahead of time.
“I believe we must exercise patience. We’re not going to rush things, he declared. But do I think this build will take a while? In it, we’ll use strategy. However, I believe that because we are in this market and have this many draft assets, we have done this previously. I don’t think it will take a long time, but I also don’t think it will be expedited.
