Trade Proposal Sends Nets’ Mikal Bridges To Rockets

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Rockets and Nets:

The trade: The Houston Rockets trade Dillon Brooks, Cam Whitmore, the No. 1 pick and two future firsts for Mikal Bridges

According to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Rockets tried to trade Jalen Green to the Nets for Bridges this season.

Both Houston and Brooklyn missed the playoffs this year. 

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Nets had zero interest in trading Bridges to the Rockets for a package headlined by Green. The Rockets made several aggressive offers to the Nets for Bridges, but Brooklyn would not trade the forward. 

Bridges averaged 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Nets this season while shooting 43.6% from the field, 37.2% from beyond the arc and 81.4% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $23.3 million next season. 

“While the Rockets fell short of the Play-In Tournament, phase 2 of their rebuild was nevertheless successful,” Buckley wrote. “Their win total jumped by 19 (from 22 to 41), the defense went from atrocious (29th in 2022-23) to above-average (10th), and they saw substantial progress made by building-block prospects Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Jalen Green.

“Is that convincing enough for the front office to feel it’s time to start phase 3? Well, Houston already attempted to acquire Bridges, so clearly there is interest in expanding the talent base. And while those initial efforts proved futile, maybe the addition of the No. 1 pick to its offer could change that.

“Remember, the Rockets are uniquely positioned to give the Nets control of their own picks, as they also own Brooklyn’s 2026 selection and have swap rights for 2027. That feels like a hefty haul for Bridges, a 27-year-old who may have peaked a tier or two shy of stardom.”

Bridges has career averages of 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists with the Phoenix Suns and Nets. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.