The Brooklyn Nets hold two first-round picks in this year's NBA Draft, their own at 21st overall and the Phoenix Suns' at 22nd. This is not unfamiliar territory for general manager Sean Marks, who held multiple first-round picks outside the lottery entering the 2017 and 2019 drafts.

Marks traded one of his picks ahead of each of those drafts. In 2017, he dealt Brook Lopez and the 27th pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov. In 2019, he traded the 17th pick to dump Allen Crabbe's salary to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Taurean Prince. The move played a huge role in clearing the cap space necessary to sign Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving that summer.

The Nets GM could be taking a similar approach this year, according to the New York Post.

“Many throughout the league who spoke with The Post believe the Nets are likely to move one of those picks in a trade to find either a proven scorer or rebounder,” Brian Lewis reported.

It should not be a surprise that Brooklyn will explore moving one of the picks for additional scoring or rebounding, their two biggest deficiencies in a first-round sweep against Philadelphia. The Nets ranked 28th in defensive rebounding this season, an area that killed them in the playoffs. The 76ers won the second-chance points battle 80-22 for the series while comfortably controlling the tempo of each game.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
Ranking 3 best Fred VanVleet free-agency destinations if he leaves Rockets
Ty Jerome Cavaliers
Ranking 3 best Ty Jerome free agency destinations if he leaves Cavaliers

Brooklyn's late-game offense was just as much of a struggle without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The Nets ranked 15th out of 16 playoff teams with a 90.0 fourth-quarter offensive rating. For reference, the league's worst fourth-quarter offensive rating during the regular season was 106.1 (San Antonio). Outside of a phenomenal Game 1, Mikal Bridges struggled to produce late in games as a No. 1 option while carrying a heavy defensive load. Spencer Dinwiddie was a major disappointment as Brooklyn's lead ball handler, shooting 4-of-12 from the field with two assists and four turnovers in fourth quarters.

The Post reported at the trade deadline that the Nets were offered two first-round picks for Dorian Finney-Smith, a player who should still garner significant trade interest this summer. Royce O'Neale is also expected to have trade value following his career-best season from beyond the arc. With Bridges and Johnson already on the wing, Marks could look to package Finney-Smith or O'Neale with one of his picks for an upgrade.

Brooklyn could also gauge interest in Cam Thomas, who struggled to crack the rotation last season despite becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 40-plus points in three consecutive games. A package of Thomas and a first-round pick could pique the interest of a young team looking to cash in on a proven player.

There has been plenty of debate regarding the Nets' direction after the implosion of their big three. Trading a first-round pick for an upgrade would signal a win-now approach with more potential moves on the horizon as Marks looks to rebuild Brooklyn's roster.