Could the Nets Use Their Draft Picks to Add Giannis Antetokounmpo or Trae Young?

Trae Young and Giannis Antetokounmpo met in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, and the latter went on to win the NBA title that season. Antetokounmpo was dominant all postseason long, and Young created his iconic rivalry with the city of New York en route to an impressive playoff run.

With both players' futures in question with their current squads, there is a path for one of the two to join the Brooklyn Nets this summer in an ironic twist.

In a recent piece by RB Hayek of ClutchPoints, mock trades are outlined for Brooklyn to acquire a franchise face via trade.

The Antetokounmpo-to-the-Nets chatter is well documented. Ever since Brian Lewis of the New York Post revealed the "Greek Freak" was "plan A" for GM Sean Marks, speculation has emerged regarding a possible move to Kings County. The Milwaukee Bucks' uninspiring postseason performance this year only furthered the rumors.

"The Nets have four first-round draft picks. Thus, they have leverage and an exciting amount of assets. In this scenario, the Nets would ship off all four first-round picks to the Nets. Plus, they would send Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton," Hayek wrote. "The 'new roster' would have Antetokounmpo teaming up with D'Angelo Russell, Ziaire Williams, and Keon Johnson. Of course, the Nets would likely chase another free agent, so Antetokounmpo is not the only star in the starting lineup."

This is of course intingent on Antetokounmpo requesting out once he meets with the Bucks' front office, something that's not yet a guarantee. Fortunately, if either Antetokounmpo stays put or the Nets are unable to come up with proper compensation, Hayek has a backup plan, that being Young.

"Instead, they could trade for Trae Young. The positives here are that they would only need to give away half of their 2025 first-round picks. With the other half, they could draft players who they could mold into role players and eventually something more," Hayek continued. "Also, the Nets would only give away Thomas and keep [Cam] Johnson, which would be a huge gain."

Adding Young would end the search for a true franchise face, but wouldn't change much for the 26-year-old's career. Leading a young Nets squad would be no different than him staying put in Atlanta, especially since the Hawks have a more talented core than Brooklyn currently boasts. This move would purely be to give Young a change of scenery, unless Marks aggressively pursues a co-star.

The Nets have long been projected to make a monster deal for a star this summer, and while Antetokounmpo and Young both fit the mold, Brooklyn's timeline could prevent the big names from truly being interested.