As we all know, Sean Marks is no stranger to making big moves. Since he took over in February of 2016, he has taken huge swings to get James Harden and then three big trades where he traded away Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden. Brooklyn has a solid core of high-end rotational players surrounding Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton, Cam Johnson, and Cam Thomas. They own a lot of future draft picks from the Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Dallas Mavericks.
With picks and players that could help other teams out, Brooklyn can make a couple of big deals to land them a roster-altering trade. At 12-9, a big trade could be what gets them out of the middle of the pack.
3. Nets receive Jerami Grant
Nets Receive: Jerami Grant Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Cam Johnson, 2027 first-round pick (via PHI-protected 1-8)
Both players recently signed extensions; therefore, this trade isn't doable until January 15th. It is a one-for-one deal where the Nets can upgrade at the power forward position. Grant is in his ninth season and has put together four consecutive superb seasons. He is a 20-point scorer who can help the Nets on both ends of the ball. Johnson has a marginal advantage in field goal percentage, but Grant is shooting significantly better from the three-point line.
The reason the Nets make this deal is to focus on winning now without giving up much. Losing a first-round pick always hurts, but the Nets own two more in 2027. The Blazers are a young, developing team; adding picks is what they should be aiming to do. Johnson is only 2 years younger than Grant and only 2 million dollars cheaper, but he can fit in with the Blazers right away and frees up space for the young players to get more looks, as Grant takes 16.7 shots a game.
Grant is currently having his best season, averaging 22.1 points per game slotting in with Bridges and Thomas as the only other players scoring above 15 points per game. Grant is a great help defender who can handle bigger assignments. With Bridges, Grant, and Claxton in the front court, it is a tricky trio to score on. Coming out of Syracuse, Grant has always been a valuable NBA player, but since his tenure in Detroit, he has shown that he can be a top guy for an NBA team.