INSIDER: Brooklyn Nets’ Rookie Class Is Proving Doubters WRONG | Which Draft Pick Is MOST PROMISING?

INSIDER: Brooklyn Nets’ Rookie Class Is Proving Doubters WRONG | Which Draft Pick Is MOST PROMISING?

On today’s show, which Nets rookie has shown the most promise this season? Will Brooklyn crank up the heat on its tank soon? And what trades could be on the horizon as the deadline approaches? I’ll answer all those fan questions and more right now. You are Locked on Nets, your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome in to Locked On Nets right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. It’s your team, the Brooklyn Nets every single day. I’m Eric Slater, Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for clutchoints.com. Thank you for making me your first listen of the day. This show is 100% free on all those great platforms. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. If you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. And on today’s episode, it’s fan take Friday. I took questions and takes from Nets fans on a wide range of subjects. But before I get to that, I want to say something quickly about Jason Collins, former Net Center, who has been battling brain cancer over these past few months. And he just announced today that he has a stage 4 glyobblasto, which is the most aggressive form of brain cancer. It’s just a terrible disease. And this is just terrible news for Jason. You know, a guy who growing up in New Jersey, Jason was a player who I watched growing up, you know, in the early 2000s when I first started going to the Meadowlands, following the NBA and following the Nets and obviously was a very good player. And from everything I’ve heard from people around the Nets organization, people around the NBA, he’s just a terrific person. I mean, he was obviously the first player in NBA history to come out as gay, a decision that took a ton of courage and did a ton for that community. and now he’s going through this battle and he’s being very open about it and it’s really just terrible. But Jason, you know, he wrote something. It’s posted on ESPN. Ramona Shelburn posted on her Twitter. I would encourage you to go read it. But one cut out of something he said that I think is, you know, pretty amazing. Jason wrote, and I quote, “The average prognosis for my disease is only 11 to 14 months. If that’s all the time I have left, I’d rather spend it trying to course a treatment that might one day be a new standard of care for everyone. If what I’m doing doesn’t save me, I feel good thinking that it might help someone else who gets a diagnosis like this one day. After I came out, someone I really respect told me that my choice to live openly could help someone who I might never meet. I’ve held on to that for years, and if I can do that again now, then that matters. So, that gives you a sense of the type of person that Jason Collins is. So, just keep him and your family, keep him and his family in your thoughts, in your prayers, because it’s just a a terrible situation that he’s going through. But on Fan Take Friday here, getting on into your takes and questions, rolling on through all of them, starting with some on the rookies. First question, which rookie do you think has impressed you the most this year, and that is from Corey Caner. And I think that there’s a couple of answers. I think that the two guys that I would point to first are obviously Danny Wolf, who’s, you know, really been impressing as of late, you know, since cracking the Nets rotation, and Jay Goryman. And I’d say that Wol has been the most impressive, but that wouldn’t be that surprising to me because he’s 21 years old. He’s two years older than all the rest of these Nets rookies. And I thought that he did have some skills that were, you know, more NBA ready than some of the things these other rookie guy rookie guys have. But even with saying that, you know, Wolfe has been extremely impressive to me. And I think that the way that his skill set has translated has been, you know, really encouraging, you know, through these first five games. I mean, you look at these first five games that he’s played extended minutes. He’s at around 13 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 47% from the field, 46% from three. I just did a full episode on him with Lucas Kaplan, so go check that out. But he’s just really impactful. I mean, the Nets are actually winning his minutes over these last five games and he’s playing for a second unit on a tagging team where that shouldn’t necessarily be an easy thing to do. And you just look at the things that he’s been able to do offensively. The way that he can play, I mean, he can do so many different things. He can play obviously, you know, he’s been playing the four or the wing. He can also play center, you would think, and there’s just so many things that you can do with him. I ran through it. I mean, the way that he’s been able to shoot has been the biggest thing fueling his early success, but outside of that, just has a really good feel for the game. And obviously, he’s a guy who can handle the ball. He can pass, he can shoot. I mean, looks like a legitimate dribble, pass, shoot threat at 611. And with the way he’s held up defensively, that should give him the ability to play multiple positions and present matchup issues all over the court for opposing defenses. So, I’ve been really encouraged by Danny. Also, I mean, Yor Gman, I think it’s been up and down for him, but overall, I’ve been encouraged and I think this is, you know, pretty good relative to what some of the expectations were and relative to what some of the takes were about that pick after they made it. I mean, you look at Jagor since he became a starter. That’s his last 14 games. He’s at 10 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists to 1.8 turnovers. Really good assist to turnover above two. And he’s at 40, 36, 90 shooting splits. So, those are pretty good numbers. you look during that span these last 14 games and Derek Queen are the only rookies averaging 10 points, three rebounds, and four assists during that span. So, I think it’s been encouraging. I think that the shooting has obviously been a revelation because that was a major question mark and a lot of the bust potential that you probably saw with Jagor was tied to his, you know, the question mark surrounding him as a shooter and he’s answered that. I think it’s safe to say at this point that he’s going to be a good shooter at the NBA level, it seems like. And that’s going to, you know, give him a floor as a prospect. Now, the ceiling is going to come down to can he develop as an on ball threat? Can he do some more things to get downhill? Can he make some of these live dribble reads? I mean, I asked Jordy Fernandez about Jagger taking care of the ball the way he has, which frankly has been a surprise to me. I mean, Jaor’s over a two assist to turnover rate, which is very good for a rookie. And Jordy said he’s been one of Jagor’s been one of the best in the NBA at finding the three-point line. The next step is going to be connecting on some of those lobs, hitting some guys on back door and 45 cuts and doing some of those other things. So that development, his ability to create advantages and also his defense, you know, that coming along, all of that is going to play a role in his ceiling. I think that his develop his development physically is going to play a huge role in that. But I would be, you know, with the shooting giving him a floor and some of the other things that he has been able to flash. I mean, he’s been getting downhill more and being more aggressive, although the consistency isn’t fully there yet. I think that it’s all really encouraging. So, that’s what I’m seeing with those two. And talking about the rest of the rookies, next question. Realistically, which of the Flatbush five will be viewed as successful picks in five years? I think Jaor and Danny have starting role player upside where Drake, Nolan, Ben feel like they’re lowminute rotation players. All are good players, not trying to be negative. And that’s from Kimball Prime. And I just talked about the first two guys. I mean, which of these five will be viewed as successful picks in five years? I think it’s a little bit early to say. I think that all of them have shown promise. I think I think the guys that have shown the most promise are, you know, Jaor, Danny, and Drake. I think those three and I hit on Jaor and uh Danny. I think both of those guys have, you know, starter level upside in the NBA. You know, could it go higher than that? We’ll see. But I think starter level upside is pretty good for where those guys were picked. And then you look beyond that, Drake is the next guy who I’d say has a pretty high floor, it seems like. I mean, he’s shooting he’s shooting well from threes around 36% albeit on low volume, but he’s also shooting 57% on twos. the on ball creation and some of the stuff that he’s been able to do. Getting downhill, shooting a really efficient percentage on mid-range jump shots, all of that stuff, like he has a little bit more to his bag than you thought going into the draft and that lack of, you know, the lack of things that he did at North Carolina was a big reason that he fell down a lot of boards. So, that’s been good. And then the athleticism and the defense have popped as I expected. So, if Drake can shoot at a respectable level, which it seems like based on, you know, the numbers that he put up in high school, his freshman season in college, and now it seems like he’ll be able to do, and then if he has a baseline of skills on the ball that you can build off where, you know, it’s early, but it looks like he does. If you couple that with the athleticism and the defensive potential that he has and the way that he’ll be able to play in transition offensively when the Nets get a little bit better and have more ability to do that, all of that should lend itself to a high floor player and there could potentially be some upside there. We don’t know. I mean, Drake is only 19 years old like a lot of these other guys. So, he’s another guy who I think has a really good chance to be a successful pick. And then going beyond that, you have Ben and Nolan. And I mean, Ben, it’s been up and down. He’s obviously had his struggles when he’s come up, but over these last five games that he’s played in, I think it’s looked, you know, decent. It’s looked good enough for me. I mean, the advantage creation and passing has shown up. He’s taking threes at a high rate. While he’s not making them, and a lot of them look ugly, taking them is the first step in that battle, and he’s clearly bought into that. I mean, he’s going to have to improve as a decision maker, the in between game a little bit, developing the three-point shot, all of those things. But for where the Nets got him at at 26, I think the ability that he’s shown to create advantages against some NBA level defenders, that’s enough of a reason to take a guy at that spot. And I think that it has been encouraging enough where I think the Nets can, you know, play it out and they’re going to see what they have in him. So, we’ll see. And then beyond him, I mean, Nolan is a story right now because the Nets just recalled Nolan from the G-League today on Thursday. And it looks like the Nets are playing, you know, the Dallas Mavericks Friday night. They’re coming back into action. And it looks like Nolan’s going to have, you know, his first extended NBA audition of his career. I mean, the Nets brought him and Drake up and they left Ben back down in the G-League. So, you bring Nolan up, it looks like he’s going to have a shot and that’s because he’s been killing it in the G-League. I mean, over Nolan’s last nine G-League games, he’s at 21 points, 3.4 four rebounds, seven seven assists to 2.9 turnovers. He’s shooting 53% from the field and 53% from three. So, that’s really encouraging stuff. I mean, Nolan looked pretty rough in the preseason games and his first few games with Long Island and he’s just done a complete 180 and the confidence just looks night and day and he’s been able to do a lot of stuff there. I mean, the three-point shooting over Nolan’s first four uh preseason games and first four G- League games. So, you combine those together, he was shooting around 18% from three on 2.2 2 attempts per 36 minutes. Now, over these last nine games, he’s at 56% on close to six or seven attempts, uh, five or six attempts, excuse me, per 36 minutes. So, that’s a massive turnaround. Is he going to shoot at that level forever? No. But, I think that, you know, his landing spot is probably somewhere in between those two numbers. So, if he can be a good three-point shooter and he can develop some physically, he has that speed in some of those tools, good length at the point guard position, I think that that’s really encouraging. So all of these guys, I think that, you know, this rookie class was clowned a lot by, you know, when Shawn Marks in this NBA and this Net’s front office turned it in. And I think that, you know, I understand why some of the people had the viewpoints that they did, but you never know. I mean, we still don’t know. Like, these guys look promising. They could all turn out not to pan out. But it’s early and I think the the early the early returns that you’re seeing on these guys are very promising. And I think that they all have chances to turn into successful NBA players. And when you have five of those guys, the chance is a few of them are going to hit. I think a really good start with this rookie class. A few more questions on the rookies. Do any of the Flatbush five make an all rookie team? That’s from Andy Bin. I mean, I think the only two that would have a shot or Jagor and Danny just based off of Jaor’s expansive role that he’s had based on the production that Danny has had early on if he continues to see an expansive role. Danny might actually be the most likely because you don’t have to reach, from what I understand, you don’t have to reach that 65 game limit that you drew for the other awards to make all rookie. If Danny has a consistent role for the rest of the year and he’s able to average, you know, double digit points with, you know, rebounds and assists on good efficiency or decent efficiency, like that’s all rookie material in this class. So, I think he has a good shot. And Jagor, you know, I said the stats with Jagor since becoming a starter, he’s at 10, three and four, good assist turnover ratio. If he can get downhill and do some more things, you know, as an onball creator and have that, you know, aggressiveness be a little bit more consistent, I definitely think he has a shot. So, Danny and Jaor are the two that I would say. Last question on the rookies before a quick break. On the Danny episode, you will pin about Danny’s best position. I argue that for any player, you are who you can guard. Not only is Wolf best at center, Jordy should eventually start him and Claxton, a small big together with MPJ. Let Wolfg guard the biggest player, not Clax. And that’s from Drock. And I I really like that take from you. Like I I don’t disagree. I mean, the idea of Danny being on the court and you can have him with his size guard the center and then you could put Nick on a little bit more of a mobile guy and they can play that way defensively and then on offense you have Nick as a traditional center. I think that’s a really good option. I I like that thought process from you. And I also think that, you know, Danny’s versatility, the things that he’s able to do on the ball, I think that that is a major positive obviously offensively that allows you to do some of those things. Then defensively, am I going to say that Danny can’t guard like forwards? I don’t think so yet. I mean, I had worries about it coming in, but he’s looked, you know, the athleticism, the foot speed, all of that has looked like not bad, I would say, in the minutes that he’s played thus far. So, I think that he’ll have some potential there. But, if you can put him at center and you can hide him a little bit there and in spurts alongside a guy like Claxton or whatever center you want to say, that’s definitely a more, you know, that that’s a a good option. and being able to have a more athletic mobile center like Clax and then having a guy who can kind of be a little bit of a beefier guy in there but also has this versatility offensively and Danny that could be a really good combo moving forward. But Danny’s versatility overall is going to be a weapon and I think that it’s going to be really interesting to see how the Nets utilize him moving forward. We got a lot more questions from Nets fans and takes a lot of them about the Nets tank situation they’ve fallen in the draft lottery standings. Are they going to crank up the tank heat to get back where they want to be? I’ll give my take on that when I continue locked on nets after a quick break. Guys, it’s 2025, almost 2026, and those days of waiting for something to become a full-blown emergency before you see a doctor, they’re over. No more walking it off for 6 months. No more pretending that weird shoulder stiffness is just sleeping wrong. It’s time to take your health seriously. And Zach Do makes that easier than ever because staying healthy is more than just hitting the gym or eating right. It’s about actually getting things checked out when something feels off. Using Zachdoc makes scheduling easier. Search for in-et network doctors and book right in the app. Real appointment times are listed, including same day visits. No more back and forth phone calls or waiting to be seen. So stop putting off your doctor’s appointments and get the care you need. Go to zdock.com/lockdonba to find and instantly book a toprated doctor today. That’s zooccdoc.comlockdownba. again, zdock.com/lockdown NBA. Coming back from the break on today’s Lockdown Nets episode, this fan take Friday. Rolling on through all of your takes and questions. Next one, what is your best guess as to where the Nets finish in the standing/tank race? I doubt they’ll be able to get into the top two or bottom two depending on how you look at it, but I’d be okay with getting top five lottery odds. That’s from Brooklyn Ross. And the Nets have fallen in the draft lottery standings, you know, due to a recent hot stretch. They fall they’ve fallen to sixth after winning three of their last four games. They are three and a half games behind the Pelicans for the top spot and two and a half games behind the Wizards for the second spot. And then they’re a half game behind the Clippers, Kings, and Pacers who were all tied for third. So, and then a half game ahead of the Hornets and two games ahead of Utah who are in seventh and eighth respectively. So, you know, with that, I said a half game behind uh the half game behind the Clippers, Kings, and Pacers in third. And I have to think that they’ll be able to get ahead of the Clippers who don’t have their pick and are trying to win. And probably also the Kings who have their pick and obviously are terrible right now, but they haven’t gone into a rebuild yet. They still have a lot of win now pieces. So, we’ll see if they tear it down. But right now, I would say that the Nets most likely spots, it probably looks like three to five because I think it’s going to be really, really hard to catch the Pelicans or the Wizards. And I just don’t know if I see that. So 3 to five, you know, if you can get ahead of the Clippers and the Kings, which they which they should be able to, that puts you in that 3 to five range, I think. And then you’re really competing with the Pacers, who have much more talent even without Hallebertton. You know, we’ll see how they handle the tank. And the Hornets as of now. Like those are the two teams who I think are the biggest threats in that three to five range. And it’s going to be really important, you know, what position the Nets get if they’re in that three to five range because the difference between three and five, it’s huge. I mean, if you look at the odds to get a top three pick, if you’re in the third spot, you have a 40.2% chance to be in the top three. If you’re in fourth, that drops to 36.6. And fifth, it drops to 31.6. So, it’s almost a 10% difference in your probability of getting in the top three. From third to from the third to the fifth spot. So, how the Nets handle that is going to be really important. And on that note, next question. What would be the measures you take in order if you want to if you wanted to fully embrace the tank? sitting MPJ, more rookie minutes, trading clacks for MPJ, higher usage rate for the rookies. That’s from Tanny G. And I think that the first step that you have to take is, you know, leaning into rookie development. I mean, leaning into these rookies and playing them a lot more minutes. And that’s tough when you have a lot of these veterans on the roster. So, the first step might actually be considering trades in some of those things. I mean, you look at it, Nick Claxton and MPJ, I’ve talked about it in the past. The Nets have gone to this revamped front line of MPJ, Noah Clowny, and Nick Claxton. That group actually has a plus 3.7 net rating in over 300 minutes together. And with the way all those guys are playing, that trio is just too good in the starting lineup. Like that trio is giving the Nets a floor, especially when you have competent backup front court guys in Dron Sharp and Danny Wolf in the second unit. So I just think that that trio is too good. I said you’re not going to trade Noah Clowny. You have Nick Claxton and MPJ. Do I think the Nets should trade both of them? I don’t know. because like you still do have to have some good players and some veterans when you try to be good next year. But I think keeping both of them is going to make it really tough for the Nets to tank and get where they want to be. Especially with the way that Noah Clowny’s ascending, especially with some of the rookies looking a little bit better than you might have expected. Having that trio in the front court, it’s too good. So Clax and MPJ like one of those guys I think probably needs to be traded. And then beyond that, you need to get more aggressive about sitting guys and doing some of these I mean, if the Nets do keep MPJ, which I think, you know, there’s a decent chance they could. I think there’s a decent chance they could keep him or Claxton, but if they keep MPJ, I mean, he has these back issues in the past. I mean, I think there should be an extended stretch where you look to shut him down for a few weeks. I mean, maybe he has an actual injury. He’s been an iron man over these last couple seasons, but obviously had injury concerns before that. But if MBJ sits for an extended period, we’ve seen it, the Nets are going to look way less confident. I mean, I went through the stats recently. when the Nets have played sub 500 teams, they’re 5-0 over their last uh over the last 15 games. They’re 5-0 against sub 500 teams with with MPJ in the lineup and they have like a plus 134 net rating, something like that. And they’re 0 and2 against 0 and5 teams without MPJ in the lineup. And their net rating drops to like minus3. So there could not be more of a difference with and without MPJ. And that’s obvious because the Nets have curtailed this entire offense around MPJ’s offball movement, around his offball gravity as a shooter, as a cutter, all of those things. So, if you take him out of the equation, they’re going to struggle in a huge way offensively. So, that’s the quickest way that the Nets could get really aggressive about their tank. And whether that means trading MPJ or whether that means sitting him for an extended period, that is the most effective way that they’re going to have to tank. And then beyond that, it’s going to be moving on from some other veterans if you can and leading more into the rookies. That’s how it would go about that. Next question. My question is a lot of fans are mad at Jordy and scared he might mess up the tank because he is sticking with vets. What will fans feel if the tank is ruined by rookie development? If the rookies continue to develop like they have and start being the reason why we win, what complaint will f what complaint will fans have then of Jordy? And that’s from Dave Watson. And my answer to that would be if the rookies are playing a ton, if the Nets are doing the right things in in terms of process for the tank and they’re still winning, at that point you shouldn’t have any issue because at that point the Nets are doing everything they can. And if the rookies are getting better, that’s a good thing and that’s it is what it is. And probably a lot of that would speak to Jordan’s coaching, the player development staff, and all that would bode well for the future. While you know, if you’re a a tank supporter, you want to see them lose games. If they’re doing it the right way and the rookies are playing, I don’t think that the fans should have any issues. Next couple of questions before a break. If the Nets win the lottery, who would you want them to take? I think Peterson first, then Boozer. If they fall out of the top four, who do they take? A Flemings, Pete. That is from Eric Manny. And it’s too early. I mean, I got to dig into some of the college tape. I really love what I’ve seen in the short spurts that we’ve seen from Darren Peterson. He obviously missed some time with that hamstring injury, but he looks really good. I think I would be on him and Deb Dansa, AJ Dansa as the top two guys. I like Cam Boozer a lot, but I’m not sure if he has the same upside as those other two guys because of a little bit of the lack of onball juice that he’ll have as a scorer. I still love Boozer a ton. I also like Caleb Wilson a ton. The top two guys I would be between right now Peterson and Debansa. And Debansa just turned in a 28-point performance leading the uh leading BYU back from a 22-point second half deficit at the Garden on Tuesday. They beat Clemson in that game. Diego Domen was there watching. There were a lot of Nets front office people there watching as there were throughout the entire NBA you know in terms of front office people. So Deansa looks really good. He’s a 6’9 guy who you know Shawn Marks has talked about positional size positional versatility. I think that Deansa has shown an ability to play in the pick and roll to be a passer to do some of those things. He’s a very good shot maker but at the same time Peterson has good size at, you know, the two spot at like 6’5. He’s a great shooter. He also has shown passing ability and can get downhill in a variety of ways. to both of those guys I think would be at the top for me and we’ll see how it plays out. Last segment coming up, we got a lot of questions about the trade market. How do the Nets approach that? There’s a lot of speculation leading up to that February 5th date. So, what should fans be looking for in terms of trade speculation? I’ll get into all that when I close out Locked on Nets after a quick break. New year, new systems, and this is the time when a lot of us look at the messier parts of running a business and think there has to be a better way. And there is. Today’s episode is brought to you by Quo Qo, the smarter way to run your business communications. If you’re ready to make your workday smoother and keep customers connected without the headaches, Quo makes upgrading your setup easier than ever. Guys, a streamline system makes such a big difference when communicating with customers. Having calls, texts, and voicemails in one clean view keeps everything organized and helps you stay responsive. And being able to share one team number makes it so much easier to make sure nothing gets missed. So, make this the year where no opportunity and no customer slips away. Try Quo for free. Plus, get 20% off your first six months when you go to quo.comlockdown NBA. That’s quo.comlockdown NBA. Quo. No missed calls, no missed customers. Guys, NFL Sundays move fast. One big play and suddenly everything feels different. That’s what makes live betting with FanDuel so exciting. You’re not just watching the game, you’re reacting to it in real time. With FanDuel, you can place bets as the action unfolds. every drive, every momentum swing, every highlight moment. Live betting is best when the game starts to shift, a receiver gets hot, a defense tightens up, or momentum flips after a turnover. FanDuel let you jump right into the moment. Live spreads and money lines adjust instantly. You can take bets on either side of the equation. Whichever way you think the game is trending, player props update as guys heat up. Maybe we got some Giants fans in here. Obviously, really miserable season. Maybe you’re watching the game this Sunday. You want to go over on Jackson Dar passing yards. You want to go over on a Juan Delale Robinson receiving prop, you can do that with FanDuel. You can bet next touchdown scores, drive results, totals, and more. It keeps you locked into every snap, every drive, every possibility. So, if you want to be right in the middle of the action this season, visit fanuel.com and place your NFL live bets all season long. FanDuel, the game moves fast and so can you. Coming out of the break, closing out today’s Lockdown Nets episode on this fan take Friday. Rolling on through your remaining takes and questions. Next one. Who is the most likely net to be traded? And that is from Alex. And I’ve said this on prior pods. I think it’s Cam Thomas. I think that there’s little doubt to me that Cam Thomas is going to be moved in some kind of a package. Whether that’s as a standalone or whether that’s as a salary filler in a bigger deal. We’ll see. But I just think the writing’s on the wall with him. I gave that Jordy Fernandez quote recently, which I thought was pretty telling in terms of Jordy saying that he’s been really happy with what the group’s been doing in the wake of Cam’s absence. And if Cam does come back, he’s going to have to play a little bit differently and fit in more. So, I just think that, you know, the Nets and Cam, I think, should both be ready to turn the page on this situation. I think that he’s the most likely to be traded. On that note, next question. What do you think the Nets can do about Cam Thomas once healthy? No way. He’s a part of their future. Barring a trade is not playing him even a viable option. And that’s from Gerard Brand Brandman. Gerard Brandman, excuse me, on the name there. I think that, you know, I think there’s a decent chance that Cam could get traded, maybe even before he comes back. I mean, with the new timeline the Nets put out, it’s um, you know, December 20th, 21st, that’s like the twoe reevaluation period that they put out, or they’re going to have a status update at that date. So, you probably think he’ll be able to come back maybe around Christmas. The date that he’s eligible to be traded is December 15th. And we saw the Nets move off a guy like Dennis Shruder at that date last season. So, I think Cam could be traded before that. If he isn’t and he’s ready to come back, I think that he’s going to have to play. I don’t think that you can just sit him completely, especially during a contract season. I mean, he’s not going to want that. It’s also a not it’s not a great look for the Nets around the league to be sitting a player like that during a contract season. But, if he comes back, I don’t really know what the role is for him. Is he going to come in and start over a guy? He’s not going to start over Jaor Gilman. I don’t think you can remove Jaor from the starting lineup. Are you going to put him in there? put him in there over Terrence man. I don’t know, you know, and that’s why like I think the thing that would make the most sense is for Cam to come off the bench, but even with that, you have all these other guys trying to get minutes for, you know, Danny Wolf entering the mix now. Nolan Troy, Ben Saraf, like how do those guys play moving forward? So, and I also don’t think that Cam’s going to want to come off the bench for a tanking team, you know, during a contract season. That’s obviously not a great look for him in terms of his market. So that’s why if it’s, you know, if the sense is that he’s not going to be a starter for the Nets, I think that you could probably get Cam coming to the Nets and the Nets going to Cam and saying, “We’re going to work on a trade to get you out of here.” And we already heard Champs Trania put out his trade intel piece and he said that, you know, he didn’t say it as a report or anything sourced, but he said that the Nets could work with Cam’s representation at Octagon to work on a trade. And when Sham says stuff like that, you listen. So I think that he might get traded before, you know, he even has to come back. And I think that that could spare that could spare Jordy from some uncomfortable decisions. So, we’ll see how that plays out. Last few questions. In your opinion, is it worth trading Claxton or MPJ for peanuts ASAP to ensure more losses this season? That’s from Randall Stevens. And no, I mean, I don’t think you trade them for peanuts. I think you have to try to maximize their value. Does that mean that you have to keep them the whole season? And like, what does maximizing their value look like? you have to hold out for just like the ultimate best package you can possibly get and look like you’re just crushing the deal. I don’t think so. I think that has been Shawn Marx’s MO at some points. He he holds out really long periods of times to try to look like he wins the deal sometimes, which I understand, but I think that, you know, both of those guys, I think that they’ll be able to get offers that are good enough. And it’s just going to come down to do they want to keep those guys? Do they feel like getting off of those guys first? Do the offers, you know, are they are they worth moving off those guys? and then moving off those guys at an earlier date is that extra, you know, spots, those extra percentage points that you can gain in the lottery, is that worth maybe keeping those guys as long-term pieces for next season? So, it’s going to come down to their evaluation of Claxton or MPJ, but I don’t think that you trade them for peanuts. In MPJ’s case, I think that, you know, if you can get like a decent first round pick and an expiring contract for MPJ, that is a huge win. I mean, because if that’s the case, you look at it, you moved Cam Johnson, you got a premium first round pick unprotected in that 2020 2032 first from Denver. And then if you can get another decent first and you can clear a huge chunk of cap space for this upcoming off season, that would be pretty enticing. But also, MPJ is playing great and he’s fitting into this Net system with Jordan Fernandez. So, I wouldn’t, you know, just write off the possibility that he could be a long-term fit for the Nets. So, we’ll see how that plays out. Next question. On the MPJ trade front, what’s your opinion on this? What’s your opinion of this fake trade? Michael Porter Jr. to Detroit for Jaden Ivy and Tobias Harris’s expiring. And that’s from Tyler Stevens. Uh MPJ to Detroit for Jaden Ivy and Tobias Harris’s expiring. I mean, just straight up that makes I don’t think that makes any sense for the Nets. You’re not getting any draft compensation in that deal. I’ve actually had this framework uh floated to me by some Pistons people and the question that they had was would you do Tobias Harris’s expiring and Jaden Ivy plus the Pistons 2026 first round pick for MPJ and I don’t think I would do that if I were the Nets just because Tobias Harris is expiring. Like that’s good. It adds a chunk to your cap space. Jaden Ivy is a guy that I don’t really think that the Nets would be too high on in my opinion. Like he’s not a great defender. like he’s one of these smaller guards who like has some scoring pop but isn’t great defensively. Like they’re already kind of in that business with Cam Thomas. I don’t think Cam Thomas and Jaden Ivy are the same player. But I’m just not sure he he’s a guy that they’d be too high on and too high on the idea of paying him a lot moving forward. And then that 2026 Detroit first is probably going to be a really low pick because Detroit has been killing it early this season and the East is just wide open. So I wouldn’t do that trade if I were the Nets. But I do think that there could be something there with Detroit because they have picks in the future. They have some other pieces. I think there’s a lot of other teams that could also get in the mix for MPJ. But that’s all I got for you guys today on this episode of Locked on Nets. Appreciate all of you who continue to submit questions, submit takes, and participate in these mailbag episodes because I’ve gotten a really good response to them thus far and I really enjoy doing them and you guys make it possible. So, thank you to all of you for participating. But if you guys do not already, make sure to subscribe to Lockdown Nets on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast, whether Apple podcast or Spotify. If you enjoy the content, smash that like button, leave a comment, leave a fivestar review. Anything you could do to engage is much appreciated. But the Nets are back in action tomorrow against the Dallas Mavericks on the road. So, I’ll have coverage of all that and more when I’m back on Monday talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball.

Erik Slater answers questions from Brooklyn Nets fans about which of the team’s rookies have shown the most promise, how the front office will approach the tank moving forward, and what trades could be available ahead of the deadline.

📲 Follow Locked On Nets on Socials

Locked On Nets https://twitter.com/LockedOnNets

Erik Slater https://twitter.com/erikslater_

If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans.

Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonnets.supercast.com/

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Mint MobileTurn your expensive wireless present into a huge wireless savings future by switching to Mint.Shop Mint Unlimited Plans at http://MINTMOBILE.com/LOCKEDONNBA.Disclaimer: Limited time offer. Upfront payment of: $45 for 3-mo., $90 for 6-mo., or $180 for 12-mo. plan required($15/mo. equivalent). Taxes & feesInitial plan term only. Over 35GB may slow when network is busy. Capable device required. Availability, speed, & coverage varies. See mintmobile.com.

QuoMake this the year where no opportunity and no customer slips away.Try Quo for free plus get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to https://www.Quo.com/lockedonnba.Quo — no missed calls, no missed customers.

ZocdocStop putting off your doctor’s appointments and get the care you need.Go to htps://Zocdoc.com/lockedonnba to find and instantly book a top-rated doctortoday.

RobinhoodYou expect more from yourself. Expect more from your money. Get started today at robinhood.com/yourmoney. Your money. Your move.

All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Options, futures, and crypto trading carry significant risk and may not suit all investors. Securities offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, member SIPC. Futures trading is offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC and not SPIC or FDIC protected. Crypto offered through Robinhood Crypto, LLC (NMLS ID 1702840), not FDIC or SIPC protected. Portfolio management offered by Robinhood Strategies, an SEC-registered advisor.

GametimeToday’s episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.

FanDuelToday’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA and NFL seasons are here, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#BrooklynNets #NBA