NBA Mock Trade: Nets Send Center to Hornets

The Brooklyn Nets are set to be one of the lesser teams in the league next year. And that’s by design, as the 2026 NBA Draft offers superstar-level talent near the top.

While the Nets have put themselves in position to nab a top prospect next year, they may still need to off-load some of their core mid-season to avoid repeating 2025, where they won too many games and ended up at No. 8.

On the opposite side are the Hornets, who have built through the draft and are now looking to contend in the down Eastern Conference.

Below we’ll look at a deal that could help both sides in the long run:

Brooklyn Nets get: Tre Mann, Grant Williams

Charlotte Hornets get: Nic Claxton, Keon Johnson

This deal would need to wait until January, as Mann just resigned with the Hornets using his Bird rights. But that could be good timing for both teams given where they'll stand next season.

In the proposed deal, the Hornets consolidate some of their depth in order to add a long-term five in Nic Claxton, as well as Keon Johnson. The Nets gain a reclamation project who seems to be trending in the right direction in Tre Mann, as well as a flippable asset in Grant Williams.

The Hornets traded Mark Williams to the Suns during the NBA Draft, leaving a vacancy at the five spot. While they drafted Ryan Kalkbrenner in Round 2, if they want to seriously win games this upcoming season, they’ll likely need reinforcements.

Claxton could very well serve as the team’s long-term big options, able to get easy offense on the interior and add the best rim-protection they’ve had in some time.

On Brooklyn’s end they off-load Claxton — bringing themselves closer to landing a top ’26 prospect — get some value in Williams, and the centerpiece of the deal in Mann.

Drafted by the Thunder in 2021, Mann struggled to exit the launchpad early in his career, seeing minutes dwindle before being sent to Charlotte. Last season, he seemed to finally be finding his groove, scoring 14.1 points on 44% shooting overall in 13 games before season-ending injury.

It’s clear via recent reports that Thomas may not fit into the Nets’ long-term plans. But Mann could certainly slot in as a similar archetype they could pour into.

Regardless of who the Nets make a deal with, it could be advantageous for the team to continue exploring ways to shed themselves of bigger contracts as they enter a new era.