The Nets‘ famous offseason trade with the Knicks — centered around Mikal Bridges — looks more like highway robbery each day.

General manager Sean Marks fleeced five first-round picks from the Knicks in exchange for a forward who never made an All-Star team and hadn’t been named to an All-Defensive team since 2022. The Knicks, hellbent on acquiring the former Villanova star, were willing to overpay for Bridges — and Marks took full advantage.

And it made last weekend’s blockbuster deal between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers look even more ridiculous.

Just after midnight on Sunday morning, while many on the East Coast were already tucked into bed, ESPN’s Shams Charania dropped a nuclear bomb. Dallas had agreed to trade All-NBA guard Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick — POFI9a deal so preposterous that many believed it to be fake news.

“We thought Shams got hacked or it was a fake account,” Nets forward Day’Ron Sharpe said. “I’m not going to lie; Mavs fans should be mad… If I was a Mavs fan, I would be mad that they traded Luka.”

But it was oh so real. The trade has already had a seismic impact on the balance of power across the league, and now Brooklyn has found itself caught in the rubble.

It’s no secret that the rebuilding Nets have been shopping forward Cam Johnson for a while now, as his career-best scoring campaign — and league-leading effective field goal efficiency — has garnered the attention of numerous contending suitors around the league.

Marks has reportedly been seeking two first-round picks in exchange for Johnson. After the Doncic deal, with the NBA trade deadline just days away, the Nets might’ve just lost their bargaining power.

Doncic is a true superstar. A franchise building block who routinely averages a near triple-double. A 6-7 guard who can dish the rock like Magic Johnson and rebound like Kevin McHale. He’s only 25, he just led Dallas to the NBA Finals last season, and hasn’t entered his prime.

Yet Doncic was traded for a 31-year-old All-Star in Davis, a role player in Christie, and one first-round pick. The deal completely reset the market, just days before Marks had to make a decision on one of his more polarizing players. And if Doncic — a generational talent — went for only one first-rounder, what hope does he have of finding a suitor that’s willing to part ways with multiple first-round picks for a 28-year-old Johnson?

Perhaps Marks should’ve dealt Johnson earlier in the season, while the iron was hot. The forward has missed five straight games because of a right ankle sprain, and while he did participate in most of practice on Monday, he’s still considered day-to-day and won’t play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets, either. After that, the Nets will have one game left before Thursday’s trade deadline.

There’s always a chance that teams who missed out on their primary trade targets could get desperate and be willing to overpay for Johnson. Not to the extent that the Knicks overpaid for Bridges last offseason but could be open to throwing in extra picks in pursuit of a deep playoff run. After all, while Johnson isn’t Doncic, he’s still a needle-mover who could make a difference for a contending team. A first-rounder and a prospect or player would be reasonable.

But if no one is willing to meet Marks’ asking price, and he refuses to settle, he could simply keep Johnson past the trade deadline. He’s an elite shooter. He’s great in the locker room. And with two years left on his current deal worth $21.5 million annually, he can be kept while maintaining financial flexibility.

Originally Published: February 3, 2025 at 4:36 PM EST

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