As I noted yesterday when I rounded up the latest rumors out of Brooklyn, last summer's most active team in free agency appears to be one of the league's more active teams in trade talks as next week's deadline approaches. The Nets have been linked to Ben Gordon, Josh Smith, and Paul Millsap, among other potential trade targets.
While the Nets likely wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on a trade that brought in reinforcements, it's unclear if they have the assets to make a move for a player of Smith's or Millsap's caliber. Kris Humphries and his $12MM salary would likely have to be included in any deal to match salaries, and other than MarShon Brooks and perhaps a handful of future draft picks, the Nets don't have a ton of attractive, tradeable assets.
A target like Gordon may be more attainable since, like Humphries, he's overpaid and still has another year remaining on his contract. But according to a New York Daily News report yesterday, the Nets have "cooled" on Gordon due to concerns about his defense.
GM Billy King has said the Nets won't make a trade for the sake of making a move, but the team showed last summer, and at last season's trade deadline for that matter, that it's not afraid to take a risk. So what do you think? Will the Nets find a way to make a big splash at this year's deadline, or are they more likely to stand pat?
What about Demarcus Cousins?