The Brooklyn Nets head into the 2025 NBA offseason with plenty of cap space that they will have to figure out how they’re going to spend the money before next season starts. With Brooklyn having more cap space than any other team in the league, they have the opportunity to do more with their cap space than just signing players to contracts for next season.

One of the ways that the Nets can take advantage of their cap space, especially if there aren’t any free-agents that the team is willing to go after, is by taking on salary from other teams that are willing to deal assets in the same move. For a team like the Boston Celtics, they will have to figure out how to get rid on some of its payroll before next season, especially with the team gripping with the reality of Jayson Tatum not playing next season due to an achilles injury.

While Boston likely isn’t looking to trade away Tatum, they do have to figure out a way to find some financial relief in its cap sheet ahead of next season. One of the ways that Brooklyn could benefit from the Celtics needing to get out of their situation is by possibly getting an impactful player that will come with draft compensation and Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus could have a framework that works:

The Mock Trade

Mavericks get: Jrue Holiday (from Celtics) and $3 million trade exception (Olivier-Maxence Prosper)

Celtics get: Daniel Gafford (from Mavericks), PJ Washington (from Mavericks), Drew Timme (from Nets), $32.4 million trade exception (Holiday), $2.5 million trade exception (Xavier Tillman Sr.), $2.4 million trade exception (Neemias Queta), and $2.2 million trade exception (Porzingis).

Nets get: Kristaps Porzingis (from Celtics), Dwight Powell (from Mavericks), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (from Mavericks), Xavier Tillman Sr. (from Celtics), Neemias Queta (from Celtics), 2026 protected first-round pick (from Celtics), and 2027 first-round pick swap (from Celtics).

Should The Nets Do This Trade?

As mentioned earlier in this piece, the Nets have the opportunity to get something in exchange for their cap space and Pincus’ framework is a prime example of that. To give this article its full context, Pincus is operating from the standpoint that the Celtics are trying to shed salary while the Dallas Mavericks are looking to add a player that can help them weather the storm of Kyrie Irving potentially missing the first half of next season.

While the Mavericks aren’t in the same financial position as the Celtics, they are still looking to maximize the time that they have with Irving and Anthony Davis and getting Jrue Holiday could help cushion the blow. Ultimately, Boston and Dallas can help each other, but only if another team is willing to help them by taking on some of their unwanted salary and that is where Brooklyn comes in.

The Celtics would likely prefer to keep Porzingis, but they probably know that most teams wouldn’t be interested in taking on salary if they weren’t getting at least one player that could help them and Porzingis is still a good player in this league. Not only that, but Powell is still a helpful player in the right situations and Queta has had some standout moments for Boston, albeit in spurts.

The best part of the deal would be the Nets getting two first-round picks for their trouble and as a team that is still in the early stages of its rebuild, getting more first-round picks just gives Brooklyn more options down the road. Porzingis is owed $30.7 million next season and would be Brooklyn’s most expensive player, but it would be worth it for two first-round picks along with a player that could play next to starting center Nic Claxton.

What Does ESPN’s Bobby Marks Think?

“If Boston’s going to trade you Kristaps Porzingis, you are going to be wanting to be accommodated because it would save Boston probably $100 million towards the luxury tax and it puts them under the second apron and it gives the Celtics a competitive advantage certainly from a trade perspective here. So, you’re looking at it from taking back money in a trade (is) one direction you could do.”