Getty Joe Harris #12 talks with Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Barclays Center
The Brooklyn Nets have extended their win streak to seven games and have been playing perhaps their best basketball of the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era. But several of those wins have been against teams without their best player or who are just plain bad. It has left many to speculate if the Nets have found a sustainable model of success or if their recent stretch is just fool’s gold.
With less than two months to go until the NBA trade deadline, time is running out for Brooklyn to make a move that would solidify them as true contenders. Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated suggests a trade where the Nets move their sharpshooter Joe Harris for Chicago Bulls All-Star center, Nikola Vucevic.
Full trade details are below:
Nets receive:
Nikola Vucevic
Bulls Receive:
Joe Harris
Nic Claxton
Draft Compensation
The latest Nets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Nets newsletter here!
Ben Stinar: Nets ‘Can Make NBA Finals’
The obvious benefit of this deal for the Nets would be offloading Harris, who, to put it bluntly, has one of the most undesirable contracts in the league. He is in the third year of a 4-year, $75 million contract which is a hefty price to pay for a player who is a streaky shooter at best.
On the other hand, for the Nets, adding an All-Star caliber center such as Vucevic could be the final piece to the complicated puzzle they have been trying to figure out for the last three years. The Nets are near the bottom of the NBA in rebounds per game, and Vucevic is one of the top rebounders in the NBA, averaging 10.4 boards per game this season. Stinar believes the Nets already have the tools to be title contenders this season, and Vucevic is the type of player who can put them over.
“With the talent, the Nets have on their roster, they can be a contender and make the NBA Finals. Since the team appears on track to reach its potential, they should try to make a trade for Chicago Bulls star Nikola Vucevic,” Stinar writes.
“The Bulls have been underperforming to start the 2022-23 season. They are 11-16 in their first 27 games, which has them as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference. Even if the Bulls turn their season around, there is very clearly a ceiling on how far they could actually go in the NBA Playoffs.”
Trading for Nikola Vucevic Has Risks Involved
Although this may seem like a no-brainer trade for the Nets to make, there is a major risk involved for them if they were to pull the trigger on this deal. While they would get an All-Star center in Vucevic, it would only be for the remainder of this season as the Bulls star is in the final year of a 4-year, $100 million contract.
With Vucevic on an expiring contract, there is no guarantee that he would re-sign with the franchise this summer, especially if they fall short in the postseason again. They just watched that situation play out in real-time last summer with Andre Drummond, who ironically signed with the Bulls after being acquired by Brooklyn in the Ben Simmons trade last February.
Losing Vucevic after having him as a rental would especially sting because their starting center, Claxton, is just beginning to put it all together. Claxton, who is an inch taller than Vucevic at 6’11, is in the middle of a career year.
He is averaging career highs in nearly every statistical category, including points, assists, steals, and field-goal percentage. But what has particularly stood out about the Nets’ big man is his presence on the interior, as he is averaging an eye-opening 2.4 blocks per game, also a career-high.
The Nets potentially losing Vucevic and Claxton as a result of being overzealous at the trade deadline would be a tough pill to swallow.