Nets land Trae Young in wild offseason blockbuster trade proposal

Despite the rumors that Sean Marks and company wished to bolster the talent pool around centerpiece Mikal Bridges, the Brooklyn Nets remained rather quiet at this year's trade deadline, taking part in only minor moves in exchange for future draft capital and cap flexibility.

Though this turnout may largely be perceived as underwhelming among the fanbase, one positive takeaway from this year's cutoff is that the team still holds onto a slew of assets that they can now look to use in trades this offseason and, according to recent rumblings, holding off on executing any deals this February could wind up leading to them making a major splash during the summer months.

Per NBA correspondent Marc Stein, "more than a few front offices out there" are under the impression that the Hawks could "entertain" the idea of trading cornerstone point guard Trae Young after opting to hold onto Dejounte Murray beyond February 8.

Ironically, Murray was a player the Nets had invested interest in pursuing ahead of this year's deadline, though it was ultimately decided that Atlanta would hold onto his services as they push for their third straight postseason berth.

In theory, this coming summer, Brooklyn could opt to utilize some of the assets they would have used in a trade for the former All-Star in a pursuit for Young, and there's one specific package they should strongly consider offering.

Trade proposal sees Nets land Trae Young in offseason blockbuster

Perhaps the two biggest factors that go into an outbound trade package for the likes of Young are salary matchers and a proper amount of draft capital.

In this exchange, we see the Nets finally getting off of Ben Simmons' $177 million deal as the main financial component (will be in the final year of his contract following this season) while throwing Dariq Whitehead into the mix to both make up for any salary discrepancies and add the intrigue of bringing on a recently selected first-round pick still under the age of 20.

We also see Brooklyn coughing up two future firsts, which is without question a substantial amount but a move that could be well worth it in exchange for a star like Young.

One of the game's premier talents, the 25-year-old finds himself amid one of his most impressive seasons yet as he's posting 27.1 points, 10.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 37.7 percent from deep.

A three-time All-Star and an established All-NBA player, Young has proven himself to be one of the best table-setters and overall scorers currently at the point guard position, as he sports 25.7 points and drops 9.5 dimes a night throughout his six-year career.

Adding his talents would only stand to benefit the likes of centerpieces Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas, both of whom have elite scoring abilities, though lack any semblance of a reliable floor general to help set them up for cleaner looks at a bucket and to take ball-handling duties away from them (this is especially important for Bridges).

Surrounding Young with this aforementioned duo as well as the other key Nets contributors like Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and, assuming they re-sign him this summer, Nic Claxton could also prove to be a recipe to bring the best out of the star guard, as he'd have ample options to dish it to on offense while also having a substantial amount of backing on the less glamorous side of the ball to help mask his defensive shortcomings.

As things currently stand, the rumors circulating that suggest the Hawks could be willing to listen to offseason trade talks involving their cornerstone are exatly that -- rumors.

Nonetheless, with someone as great as Young is, such noise is cause for serious attention and, for a team like the Nets who are in desperate need of both a talent boost as well as a point guard upgrade, they should keep close tabs on the situation moving forward.