In a recent report from Nets Daily, it was announced that the Nets are interested in trading for former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. This has caused an already divided fanbase to debate whether or not it would be in the best interest of the Nets. This season, in 22 games, Giannis is having a career year, averaging an impressive 32.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 6 assists on 61% FG. He is currently the NBA leading scorer in points per game and is shooting a career-high 45% from midrange.
There is no debate about whether or not if Giannis is one of the best players in the NBA. The discourse comes around the strategy of trading for superstars and the difficulty of building a team around them, knowing the sheer amount of assets that need to be given up in order to obtain these MVP-caliber players. Back in 2021, Nets GM Sean Marks made an all-in move for James Harden, an MVP-caliber player at the time. That trade cost the Nets Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, 3 unprotected 1st-round picks, and 4 unprotected 1st-round pick swaps. Some fans believe the Nets would get Giannis on a discount; however, this is merely delusion by fans that desperately want an MVP player, an understandable desire. The true asking price would be similar to what the Nets gave up to acquire Harden: 4–6 1st-round picks and multiple young rotation players in order to match salary.
While the Nets do have an abundance of 1st-round picks, they do not have an unlimited supply. Of the 15 1st-round picks they possess up until 2031, approximately only 12 of them are tradeable due to the Stepien Rule preventing teams from trading 1sts in consecutive years. Assuming you’d have to give up half of our tradeable 1sts and players such as Nic Claxton, Cam Johnson, and even rising star Cam Thomas, it would make it very difficult to build a contender around the aging Giannis, who recently turned 30. The Nets would be forced to spend their remaining 6 draft picks to build around Giannis in an attempt to win a championship in 3–4 years, assuming Giannis is able to stay healthy and stay loyal to the Nets if they do not have any playoff success. Something that needs to be understood is that if Giannis were to come to Brooklyn, it is not because he likes the city or organization; it would be to compete for a championship. Similar to Harden and KD, if these older stars do not believe you can build a contender around them, they will not hesitate to request a trade.
Fans want to win, and they want to win badly. However, being obsessed with star hunting and constantly giving up valuable assets for small championship windows is not the recipe for success, as shown by the last decade of Nets basketball with 2 failed superteams. 42 of the last 44 champions (with 3 of them being somewhat debatable) in the NBA had their best player either drafted or signed in free agency. If the Nets want to build long-term, sustainable success, they need to draft their franchise player, not give up heaven and earth to obtain one.
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