Changes are underway for the Brooklyn Nets entering the 2024 offseason. Following the franchise's worst season since 2017-18, General Manager Sean Marks will return to the drawing board as he attempts to build a winning roster alongside newly hired head coach Jordi Fernandez.
With that, we look at four Nets who could be traded this summer.
Cam Johnson
Brooklyn is expected to be near the top of the list of trade suitors for Donovan Mitchell should he decline to sign an extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer. With Mikal Bridges off the table and Cleveland unlikely to have interest in Ben Simmons' expiring deal, Johnson's $23.6 million contract would be the main salary-filler in a Mitchell trade.
Johnson failed to meet expectations in 2023-24 after signing a four-year, $94.5 million contract last summer. The 28-year-old struggled to stay on the floor while battling injuries, averaging 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 45/39/79 shooting splits over 58 appearances.
Despite his underwhelming campaign, the 6-foot-8 forward has shot 41% from three on 6.0 attempts per game over his last three seasons. Johnson should have some value to win-now teams, giving the Cavs the option to flip him if they acquired him in a Mitchell deal.
Cam Thomas
Thomas officially put his name on the NBA map this season after cracking Brooklyn's rotation for the first time. The 22-year-old led the Nets in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game on 44/36/86 shooting splits. His 11.9-point jump in scoring average from last season was the highest in the league.
However, the Nets have a known desire to re-enter the star market, and Thomas' third-year leap will not go unnoticed among prospective trade partners. The LSU product would likely be a fixture in Mitchell negotiations as a young piece Cleveland could develop or flip to a third team for additional draft compensation.
There's also something to be said about Thomas' contract situation. The former first-round pick will enter the final year of his rookie deal next season and is eligible for an extension this summer. The Nets were reluctant to offer Thomas a rotation role during his first two seasons, even after trading Durant and Irving during the second half of 2022-23. It remains to be seen whether his high-level shot creation outweighs his defensive limitations in Brooklyn's eyes.
With Thomas set to make just $4.0 million next season, trading him this summer before an extension would open the bidding to a wide range of suitors. Teams could easily match his salary in a trade while acquiring his bird rights, allowing them to exceed the cap to extend him on a long-term contract.
Day'Ron Sharpe
Sharpe impressed during the first half of 2023-24 after earning a rotation role for the first time in his career. The 22-year-old averaged 7.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 16.0 minutes per game over his first 37 appearances.
He continued to provide a dominant presence on the boards, posting the NBA's second-highest rebounding percentage this season, behind only Andre Drummond. Sharpe also showed improvement as a short-roll playmaker, posting a 13.4 assist percentage, which ranked in the 75th percentile among NBA big men, per CleaningTheGlass. The same can be said for his finishing, as he shot a career-high 69 percent at the rim, per BasketballReference.
However, the North Carolina product missed fifteen games midway through the year due to a hyperextended knee and saw his minutes dip late in the season. Sharpe logged several DNP-CDs down the stretch as rookie first-round pick Noah Clowney emerged in the rotation.
Like Thomas, Sharpe will enter the final year of his rookie contract next season. With the Nets expected to re-sign Nic Claxton and Clowney looking like a long-term frontcourt piece, it's unclear whether they would use a portion of their 2025 cap space to re-sign Sharpe. If Brooklyn would prefer to allocate those funds elsewhere, the center could be a sell-high candidate this summer following the most productive campaign of his young NBA career.
Dorian Finney-Smith
Finney-Smith has been a fixture in trade rumors since Brooklyn acquired him as part of a package for Kyrie Irving at the 2023 deadline. However, the Nets have held onto him through the last two transaction cycles. They turned down two first-round picks for the veteran forward in 2023, according to the New York Post's Brian Lewis, although it's unclear where the offer was coming from and with what protections.
The Nets were reportedly seeking the equivalent of two first-round picks for Finney-Smith at this year's deadline. They could not strike a deal, and it's unlikely they'll fetch that kind of haul for the 31-year-old this summer.
Finney-Smith opened 2023-24 on a tear, shooting 44.8 percent from three on 5.5 attempts per game over his first 28 appearances. However, he cooled off considerably while battling injuries late in the year, finishing the season averaging 8.4 points and 4.7 rebounds on 42/35/72 shooting splits.
With Finney-Smith under contract for $14.4 million before a $15.4 million player option in 2025-26, this summer could be Brooklyn's last chance to cash in before his value dips further.
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