If there are two words to describe Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks, they are: Galaxy. Brain.

To recap: when then-owner Mikhail Prokhorov hired him in 2016, Sean Marks was saddled with a, to put it lightly, less than stellar roster.

Who could have predicted that in under five years, Marks would turn Anthony Bennett, Trevor Booker and Jeremy Lin to Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan, and Blake Griffin? And when he made those moves, who could have pictured such a team doing as well as it is now?

Marks has basically operated like a character from The Godfather, somehow leveraging zero assets into three MVP candidates in the same year. And now that the wave is here, Marks hasn't slowed down. James Harden and Kyrie Irving making it work? Blake Griffin on a discount? Not even the most avid armchair GMs can possibly predict what Marks will do next with this now-juggernaut of a franchise. Who are we to tell him to stop? The guy is batting 1.000 so far.

Yet, with the trade deadline looming and the best offense in NBA history already, Nets fans everywhere are of the same mindset: don't mess with perfection.

With that said, these are the two trade mistakes the Nets need to avoid.

Moving Nic Claxton

Nets

When Sean Marks dealt Jarrett Allen to Cleveland as part of the possibly infamous James Harden deal, fans of the ‘Fro were absolutely outraged. Allen is young, cheap, bouncy, and wildly talented. Harden at the time was overweight, disgruntled, and for all fans knew, had one of the biggest attitudes in basketball. Of course, we were all proven wrong, and for a team making ‘win-now' types of moves, you can't get much better than a motivated Harden in his prime.

And with Nic Claxton waiting in the wings, moving Allen could also mean the Nets have more faith in the young big man's ceiling. He is basically a super-sized version of Bruce Brown at the moment, and right now, he is much more ready than Allen to get physical with opponents.

With Marks hitting these many home runs, exchanging Claxton for added potential is a very solid option. However, with what is currently left available of the trade market, giving him up would be a mistake. The Nets are too strapped for cash at this point to try and grab any other superstars, and they are no longer in need of any mid-tier talent on offer.

To trade Claxton and his potential for anything less than that would be a mistake. The Nets have been rumored to be in talks for JaVale McGee, for example, and his veteran presence is not worth trading Claxton–injuries or no. If Cleveland lets go of Andre Drummond with a buyout, he'll be available to Brooklyn for the veteran minimum. The Nets are all set in place with their current and former star power, and Claxton is their best bet for the future.

Keep him, and keep him safe.

OverpayingMagic, Aaron Gordon

Now, if Brooklyn really wants to swing for the fences and go full Heatles on the league, they could theoretically try to aggressively land another star with their current depth. An immediate thought that comes to mind is either Orlando's two biggest stars: Aaron Gordon or Nikola Vucevic.

However, the Magic have been loathe to part with either of them, and both will come at a hefty cost to Brooklyn. Gordon is the cheaper of the two financially, but the point remains the same. Brooklyn will be asked to give away multiple role players (including Joe Harris) just to match salary, on top of the young talent and potential Orlando will most likely ask for. In an ideal world, Spencer Dinwiddie's talent would command enough value for Gordon, but if it was enough for the Magic to stomach this trade, they likely would have done the deal already.

The key to Brooklyn's success in the playoffs will come from the opportunities given to its role players, given the attention commanded by their trio of stars. They have already given up a lot of their depth to mortgage their level of talent, and there is a line that can be crossed in that area.

Vucevic will not be an option, period. Dinwiddie, Harris, and either Claxton, or picks, or both is too much to surrender for that deal to make sense. Gordon's talents will demand more youth and Harris, who is healthier than Dinwiddie and a solid fit in their system.

Both stars are good. Never, ever, ever pay great for good.

The Nets are currently in line to win their first-ever NBA Championship, and Marks has put them in a perfect position to bang with the best the entire league has to offer. He has been bold and absolutely fearless with his moves, and everything he has done to date has brought excitement to this once derelict franchise. But there is a line.

Crossing it would be infinitely worse than quitting while he's ahead.