The NBA Trade rumors continue and one team that is hard-pressed for their future may need to find different ways to stay relevant.
The Brooklyn Nets have compromised their future by trading their first round, unprotected draft picks to the Boston Celtics for the next three years (2017 is a pick swap ensuring the Celtics get the better one). Thus, they only have trades and free agency.
To this end, renowned sportswriter Bill Simmons in the Ringer NBA Show podcast has suggested unconventional paths to progress. In his conversation with Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, they agree that Brooklyn is not a free agent destination. Kevin Durant and Mike Conley are not choosing them over their other options.
What they do have is a lot of cap space and what they could do is pursue the players that the rest of the league has lost interest in. One of them could be the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose.
The former MVP has been involved in trade rumors for the last couple of years but the reality is that even if the Bulls did actively try to trade him, they would be challenged to find any takers for his high salary considering his extensive injury history.
An ESPN Insider article has mentioned that the Nets could probably be the only taker for Rose and could send Joe Johnson's then-expiring contract. Yet, the Nets just decided to waive Johnson instead of gambling an extra year on Rose.
However, that dynamic can change because Rose's contract is now expiring and he has declared that he wants another huge contract. The Nets can gamble that Rose may perform well in order to secure a long-term deal (see Rajon Rondo with the Sacramento Kings this season).
Because of the Nets salary cap space, they don't even have to match Rose's salary and this could be the Bulls way to get rid of Rose's contract that has hampered them for so long.
Another player that the Nets could pursue is Dwight Howard. Because of his publicized feud with James Harden and the visible deterioration in his quality of play, the center's value has dropped. If he does opt out of his contract, there might not be many suitors for him-at least for the price that he would demand.
The Nets would also not offer him his max salary (which could reach about 30 million) but a reasonable offer in the 20 million range for three years would be enough to secure a center that the Brooklyn franchise has coveted and almost traded for in 2012.