3 burning questions for Nets ahead of the February 8 trade deadline

Should Brooklyn focus on their future instead?

The Nets have the other option to trade their current assets for young players and/or draft picks. This is essentially what the team did when they traded Durant and Irving, but it wasn't aggressive enough.

They attained future draft capital, but won't be able to use any of it until 2025, and with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks looking good enough to compete for deep playoff runs for the next few seasons, those picks will likely be outside of the lottery.

Like I said earlier, the Nets have good players, and packaging assets to other teams trying to get into the playoff mix could get them serious draft capital.

It sounds like a stretch, but hear me out: The Houston Rockets, the team that owns Brooklyn's first-round picks for the next four drafts, are right there with other teams to make the playoffs.

It wouldn't be crazy to say that they'd give back the Nets' picks for Bridges and/or any combination of role players.

Plus, let's say that they get draft picks by trading their best players to contenders -- that would lead to even more draft compensation!

It gives themselves an immediate building block for the future.

Of course, there is a downside to going in this direction, and it involves the fans.

The Nets already went through a tumultuous rebuild before making the playoffs again in 2019. Those years were dark, and many people might not want to go through it again.

There's always going to be an argument for both sides, and Nets fans can only watch as their team continues on, but we're at the point in the season where a decision needs to be made. There isn't much room for error, and the deadline being less than two weeks away only makes these whispers louder.