With trade season beginning, what moves can the Nets make?

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The Nets have had a rough start to the season in which they believed they could compete for an NBA championship. With such a small window of opportunity, Billy King may try and find help from other teams. What moves should the Nets make to help make themselves a better team? For starters, they'll need help on the glass. Someone who can rebound the ball is a must, but King must avoid trading for a Reggie Evans-type of rebounder. Keep in mind that these trade's I'll be proposing are not actual rumors. These are merely trades I believe will help the Nets and the other teams involved. Here are some "options."

Thaddeus Young:

There have been multiple reports stating that Thaddeus Young has requested a trade out of Philadelphia because he isn't with the whole "tanking" thing. This gives the Nets a chance to snatch him from the 76ers. Young has been known among Nets fans as a Nets-killer throughout his career. He may be exactly what the Nets need.

Young is a 6'8" power forward who can stretch the floor and grab some rebounds. This season, he's averaging 15.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. At just 25 years old, Young has an extremely high ceiling, and has potential to be one of the better forwards in the league. What would the Nets have to give up for him? Here's my proposal:

Why would Philadelphia do this? For one, they are in all-out tank mode for Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker. This trade would definitely benefit them in that aspect. Also, Jason Terry gives them a bit of veteran leadership and a nice option behind Evan Turner, unless they decide to trade him as well. Mirza Teletovic provides Philly with a stretch power forward who has shown the ability to rebound the ball, and has also played much improved defense. The Sixers are losing a talented player in Young with this deal, but Terry and Teletovic will help them with their tanking strategy. Those are two talented players, but each of them will also have expiring contracts in 2014-15, freeing up some cap space for Philadelphia.

For the Nets, this trade would be about gaining an up-and-coming forward for the next three years, and maybe longer. This would put them in a better position for the future.

Taj Gibson:

Let's start by saying this: this trade not only helps the Nets get an athletic power forward who is stuck on the bench in Chicago, but this also helps Chicago save themselves money and an amnesty clause. Also, this helps Phoenix get a guy they appreciate in Eric Gordon while New Orleans bolsters their backcourt. Before I get into the details, here's the proposal. A four team, 15 player trade:

Let's start with what the Chicago Bulls are getting. By trading both Taj Gibson and Carlos Boozer, Chicago is saving over $20M next season. It's rumored that Chicago has been thinking of using their amnesty clause on Boozer, but here they will be able to save it. Sure, they're giving up a lot and not getting much back, but with Luol Deng likely walking in free agency next summer, Chicago will have a lot of money to spend in free agency. Okafor has yet to play for Phoenix this season due to a neck injury. His $14.5M is expiring after this season, so by taking him in a Boozer swap, Chicago is using their amnesty without using their amnesty (you catch my drift). Besides the Reggie Evans 2-year deal, the Bulls would be taking back all expiring contracts. This adds even more cap space for free agency.

Now for the Nets, I sent Taj Gibson their way because they are in desperate need of an athletic big who can rebound and find a way to score. This season, Gibson is averaging 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per 36 minutes. These are numbers that the Nets are severely lacking. It also helps that Gibson is a Brooklyn-native. Why did I throw Gerald Green and Anthony Morrow to the Nets? We all know these two players very well. Morrow spent two seasons in New Jersey before being shipped to Atlanta in the Joe Johnson deal. He gives the Nets a reliable three point option, as he's shooting 46.6% from deep this season with the Pelicans. Not only was Morrow a three point threat in New Jersey, he was also a fan favorite. His most memorable moment coming on February 3, 2012 against the Timberwolves when he dropped 42 points on 8/11 shooting from three point. In the case of Gerald Green, most, if not all, fans believe that he should still be a Net as I write this very post. Billy King decided against giving him the mid-level exception and instead gave it to Mirza Teletovic, a player who barely saw any playing time last season. Green is a freak athletically, and we saw that when he took flight against the Houston Rockets back in March of 2012. Green is the exact kind of player the Nets are lacking on this current roster. He's a versatile shooting guard/small forward combo who can shoot the ball and get to the basket. It helps that he and Deron Williams seemed to have instant chemistry when he signed his first 10-day contract in New Jersey.

The Pelicans and Suns are basically in this so Phoenix can get Eric Gordon, a guy they desperately wanted before New Orleans matched their offer sheet. Sending Goran Dragic to New Orleans gives the Pelicans a fast and lethal guard combo with Jrue Holiday and Dragic. Getting Jason Terry and Alan Anderson from Brooklyn is simply a way for Brooklyn to free up enough space to take on Gibson, Morrow, and Green. For Phoenix, they get their guy in Eric Gordon and now pair him up with an up-and-coming star in Eric Bledsoe. Phoenix also gets Carlos Boozer to pair up with those two. Boozer's ability to space the floor gives Eric Gordon room to find his way to the basket without having a second big collapse on him.

Picks may be passed along among the four teams, but that's for the GM's to work out.

Zach Randolph:

This deal was previously put together by Mr. Tom Lorenzo of NetsDaily.

This deal doesn't necessarily do much for the Nets' "age" issue, as Randolph is 32 years old and Mike Miller is 33, but it does help them solve issues they have had this season. Zach Randolph gives the Nets a big man who is a two-time all-star. His ability to hit mid-range shots, crash the offensive glass, and fill the lane nicely with his big body all help the Nets. Though he isn't the best defender, and is definitely not a shot-blocker, "Z-Bo" fits in nicely with this current Nets squad. By acquiring Randolph, this allows Kevin Garnett to come off the bench, where he can be much more successful as he approaches the end of his career. Mike Miller gives the Nets exactly what Anthony Morrow would give them in the previous trade, which is a consistent three point shooter. The difference is that Miller has proven himself on the biggest stage of all, the NBA Finals. He's shooting 44.6% from deep this season in about 24 minutes per game.

The reason behind Paul Pierce going to Memphis is simple. This gives the Grizzlies the chance to dump Randolph's pricey contract and take back Pierce's, which expires after this season. Tyshawn Taylor gives Memphis a young point guard to play under Mike Conley, and Reggie Evans serves as a replacement for the rebounds they'll be losing by sending Randolph to Brooklyn.

Kyle Lowry:

This is probably one of the easier trades to highlight, being that the Nets were rumored to be interested in Lowry. With Deron Williams having ankle troubles early in the season, Lowry would serve as a nice backup to Deron, and could also start next to him with Joe Johnson shifting to small forward. 

In Lowry, the Nets receive a guy who can run, pass, and shoot. He's averaging career highs in scoring, assists, and steals with Toronto this season. Lowry wouldn't be happy if he was traded into a backup role so this would most likely make him the starting shooting guard next to Deron Williams. His ability to run would compliment Deron nicely, as Deron is at his best when he's pushing the ball. Steve Novak would basically be a swap for Teletovic, as they are both in the same mold. Mirza is the better rebounder and defender, but Novak has proven his ability to shoot the three ball in the NBA.

With Toronto likely trying to tank for Andrew Wiggins, who would be the hometown hero since he grew up in the Toronto suburbs. They would be taking on the two-year deals of Teletovic and Terry, but each of them will be expiring after next season. With DeRozan's contract being the only semi-big one on the books, the Raptors will have plenty of cap space for free agency in 2015. Livingston's veterans minimum contract expires this coming summer, so Toronto won't have to worry about him affecting their spending.

Last, but not least:

The Nets could use a few stars in their prime.

This obviously makes the Nets really, really good. Miami gets a scorer and Oklahoma City gets a star point guard and a future hall-of-famer for their star point guard and future hall-of-famer. Who says no?

DISCLAIMER: These proposal are not rumors, and are not meant to start rumors. They are simply ideas being explored in order to help the teams involved.
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