Nets keep adding to massive return from Kevin Durant trade

Last February, the Phoenix Suns sent Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, four first-round picks and one first-round pick swap to the Nets for Durant, with the four-team deal also sending the Nets two second-round picks, via the Milwaukee Bucks. Tuesday, Brooklyn flipped Bridges and a second-rounder to the New York Knicks for a package that included five more first-rounders, another first-round pick swap, another second-rounder and forward Bojan Bogdanovic.

Brooklyn consolidated part of that draft capital with a second trade Tuesday, sending two of those Suns firsts and two pick swaps to the Houston Rockets in order to get their own first-round picks back in 2025 and 2026. One of those pick swaps is from the Kyrie Irving trade, so the final haul for Durant is six extra firsts, last year's No. 21 pick Noah Clowney, two seconds, Johnson and Bogdanovic.

That's comparable to the Dallas Cowboys' return when they traded Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in 1989. The Cowboys ultimately netted three first-rounders, three second-rounders and a sixth-round pick, while giving up a third and a 10th along with Walker. That and further wheeling and dealing led to acquiring Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and the core of a team that wore three Super Bowls.

Brooklyn may not be done yet. Paying a premium to get their own picks back from Houston indicates that the Nets are preparing to tank next season, and likely the next. That means both Johnson and Bogdanovic could be headed elsewhere, with more draft capital heading to Brooklyn's horde.

This gives Brooklyn a chance to rebuild from the ground up with a base of young players and talented prospects. Although based on the Nets' history, don't expect too much patience. Whether it's Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce or the perpetually disgruntled James Harden, the Nets simply can't resist trading first-round picks for over-the-hill veterans. Will this rebuild be different?