Should the Nets consider trading for Mavericks' Jaden Hardy?

The Brooklyn Nets have been making moves this offseason as they are remaking the roster ahead of what could be a trying 2025-26 campaign. Brooklyn is likely looking towards the future with the trades in which they acquired forwards Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann, but general manager Sean Marks has maintained that he will keep his options open.

The Nets are still looking for a player that they can call their franchise player, but they are hoping that at least one of those players are coming from the 2025 NBA Draft. Brooklyn selected guard Egor Demin with the eighth overall pick and if the Nets are right about him, Demin should be one of the players that the team can build around heading into the future.

Heading into the 2025-26 season, Brooklyn is going to evaluating most of the players on the roster to see if they are the kind of players that the front office should hold onto for when the franchise is ready to compete for championships again. Until then, it’s fair to wonder if the Nets could consider trading for a player that could be a diamond in the rough in the right circumstance (per Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus):

The Mock Trade

Mavericks receive: LeBron James (from Lakers), Bronny James (from Lakers), Andre Jackson Jr. (from Bucks), Tyler Smith (from Bucks), and Drew Timme (from Nets).

Lakers get: Giannis Antetokounmpo (from Bucks), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (from Mavericks), Tyrese Martin (from Nets), $4 million trade exception (Dalton Knecht), and $2 million trade exception (Bronny James).

Bucks get: RJ Barrett (from Raptors), PJ Washington (from Mavericks), Caleb Martin (from Mavericks), Naji Marshall (from Mavericks), $2 million trade exception (Tyler Smith), 2026 first-round swap rights (from Lakers), 2026 Lakers second-rounder (via Raptors), 2028 first-round swap rights (from Lakers), 2030 first-round swap rights (from Lakers), 2031 first-rounder (from Lakers), and 2032 first-round swap rights (from Lakers).

Raptors get: Daniel Gafford (from Mavericks) and $13.3 million trade exception (RJ Barrett).

Nets get: Dalton Knecht (from Lakers), Jaden Hardy (from Mavericks), and Dwight Powell (from Mavericks).

Nets Additions/Subtractions

Nets receive: Dalton Knecht (from Lakers), Jaden Hardy (from Mavericks), and Dwight Powell (from Mavericks).

Nets lose: Drew Timme and Tyrese Martin.

Would The Nets Do This Trade?

This isn’t the first time that the Nets have been mocked to being one of the teams that would help the Mavericks acquire LeBron James from the Lakers. In the previous mock trade put forth by Pincus, Brooklyn would be trading for Lakers forward Dalton Knecht as the headliner and while that remains the case in this mock trade, Knecht would still be the best player in the trade.

The Nets would still be losing guard Tyrese Martin and center Drew Timme and there is a possibility that Brooklyn would have some tough decisions to make when it comes to roster management. However, if they were able to get someone like Hardy that would show what he has against the guards currently on the team, there is the thought that iron could sharpen iron.

Hardy, 23, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from the field and 38.6% from three-point land. Hardy, the 37th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, has been coming off the bench for the Mavericks over the past three seasons and has career averages of 8.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest while shooting 42.5% from the floor and 38.1% from deep.

Verdict: Yes, the Nets should do this trade.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Should the Nets consider trading for Mavericks’ Jaden Hardy?

Should the Nets consider trading for Mavericks’ Jaden Hardy?

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