Proposed Blockbuster Trade Sends Drew Timme, Picks from Nets in LeBron Mega-Deal

The Brooklyn Nets' desire to help facilitate trades and take on bloated contracts in exchange for draft picks this summer was no secret. Brooklyn was constantly assumed to be included in wherever Kevin Durant would ultimately end up, yet it never happened.

Instead, they added Terance Mann and the 22nd-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft—which ended up being Drake Powell—and moved Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 unprotected Denver Nuggets first-rounder.

While those deals were certainly savvy, they didn't dominate headlines. Bleacher Report's Eric Pincusput together the framework for a transaction that would not only dominate headlines but also shake up the cores of three separate franchises.

Pincus proposed that Brooklyn help facilitate a LeBron James move from Los Angeles to Dallas, reuniting "The King" with former teammates Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, and allowing him to mentor the recently selected Cooper Flagg.

Mavericks' haul:

• LeBron James (from Lakers)
• Bronny James (from Lakers)
• Drew Timme (from Nets)
• Tyrese Martin (from Nets)
• $1.8 million trade exception (Dwight Powell)
• $1.1 million trade exception (Olivier-Maxence Prosper)

Lakers' haul:

• Daniel Gafford (from Mavericks)
• PJ Washington (from Mavericks)
• Naji Marshall (from Mavericks)
• Caleb Martin (from Mavericks)
• Jaden Hardy (from Mavericks)
• 2030 Lakers second-rounder (from Nets)
• 2031 Lakers second-rounder (from Nets)
• $24.1 million trade exception (LeBron James)

Nets' haul:

• Dalton Knecht (from Lakers)
• Maxi Kleber (from Lakers)
• Olivier-Maxence Prosper (from Mavericks)
• Dwight Powell (from Mavericks)

Yes, this is wild, weird and wacky. Would a three-team deal ever go down in which 13 separate players get dealt? Absolutely not, but it is still impressive that Pincus managed to put together a trade that's this complicated yet would still work financially.

Knecht would be a nice pickup for Brooklyn, as would Prosper, but the Nets' forward rooms are crowded as is. And, with the way head coach Jordi Fernandez loves guys like Martin and Timme, it'd be hard to imagine the Nets pulling the trigger on this specific framework.

Pincus' proposal is fun and would likely break the sports world for a week at minimum, but it doesn't seem very realistic—as of right now. We'll have to wait and see if James stays put in LA or goes elsewhere to try and secure one final ring before retirement.