The Brooklyn Nets made a bet against the Phoenix Suns' future when they traded Kevin Durant at last year's deadline. General manager Sean Marks acquired Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, and an unprotected first-round pick swap in 2028.

While that bet is still in its infancy, Brooklyn appears to be on the winning end less than one season into Durant's Suns tenure.

Bridges has exceeded expectations while stepping into a lead role with the Nets, averaging 23.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 47/37/88 shooting splits over 56 appearances. Johnson has remained a steady three-and-D presence, shooting 38.5 percent from deep on 6.2 attempts per game while guarding across multiple positions.

Meanwhile, the Suns have performed well below expectations after gambling the last of their remaining draft capital on Bradley Beal and his albatross contract. Phoenix is 14-15, good for 11th place in the Western Conference, with Beal appearing in just six games while battling back and ankle injuries. The slow start has led to frustration from Durant within the Suns organization, per Adrian Wojnarowski.

“You talk to people in Phoenix and around that organization, they can feel the frustration with Durant,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown. “The underwhelming supporting cast, that comes from those massive trades for Durant and Bradley Beal that really gutted the organization and left them having to sign a lot of minimum players to fill out the payroll. And then understanding that they lack the assets, the draft picks, the trade capital, to go out and really improve this team.

“This is something they're going to have to manage in Phoenix with Kevin Durant. You've seen it before and it reminds you, it is a stark reminder, of how short of a window and how this team has to win big and they have to win big quickly based on how it was constructed… There's a lot at stake for this organization. It's gotta change soon.”

Nets, Suns moving forward

After trading for Beal, who is under contract for three years, $161 million following this season, the Suns don't control any of their draft picks until 2031. That limited flexibility amid an inauspicious start has increased the perceived value of Phoenix's unprotected future first-round picks.

 

The Nets have an incentive to remain competitive for the foreseeable future, with Houston owning their first-round picks until 2029. This has led to speculation that Brooklyn could jump back into the star trade market to build a contender around Bridges and others. Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell has been linked to the Nets as he approaches the final year of his contract.

However, Marks should be wary of trading the Suns' distant picks (2027, 2028, 2029) amid their tumultuous start. The Nets have been on the other end of the position they find themselves in, with the Boston Celtics landing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown via unprotected Brooklyn picks acquired in a 2013 trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

The general manager has other picks at his disposal in trade negotiations, including Phoenix's 2025 first, Philadelphia's 2027 first (Top eight protected) and Dallas' unprotected 2029 first. Brooklyn also has several veterans, such as Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale and Spencer Dinwiddie, as well as a young budding center in Nic Claxton, who could fetch additional capital to use in a deal.

The Nets will be a fixture in mock trades when the next disgruntled star becomes available. However, Phoenix has looked like a below-average team with little to no flexibility after re-defining the term “all-in” this offseason. That should be in the back of Marks' mind as he continues to craft Brooklyn's roster in the post-Durant-Kyrie Irving era.