On July 8th, 2025, the Brooklyn Nets traded forward Cameron Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for forward Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first round draft pick. Denver also received a trade exception in the trade.
Cameron Johnson spoke to the local media about his excitement of playing with the Nuggets. Denver's front office of Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace also spoke in Johnson's introductory press conference.
On July 6th, 2025, the Chicago Bulls traded guard Lonzo Ball to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward Isaac Okoro. Cleveland also received a trade exception in the deal.
Ball spoke to the media after the trade about being able to recover from multiple knee surgeries and return last year with Chicago. He also talked about his fit with the Cavaliers after the trade.
On February 6th, 2025, as part of a four-team trade, the New York Knicks traded center Jericho Sims to the Milwaukee Bucks; the Bucks traded guard Delon Wright and the draft rights of Hugo Besson to the Knicks.
The Bucks traded forward Khris Middleton and guard A.J. Johnson to the Washington Wizards. The Knicks traded the draft rights of Mathias Lessort to the Wizards. The Wizards traded forward Kyle Kuzma to the Bucks; and the Wizards traded forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. to the San Antonio Spurs. New York received a trade exception. Milwaukee also received multiple trade exceptions.
Jericho Sims spoke to the media after the trade upon joining the Bucks. The center talked how he can help the Bucks as an athletic center and his excitement with playing with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
On February 2nd, 2025, in a three-team trade, the Dallas Mavericks traded guard-forward Luka Dončić, forward-center Maxi Kleber and forward Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers traded guard-forward Max Christie, forward-center Anthony Davis and a 2029 first round draft pick to the Mavericks; the Lakers traded guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second round draft pick to the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz traded cash considerations and a 2025 second round draft pick to the Mavericks; the Jazz traded cash considerations to the Lakers. Los Angeles also received a trade exception.
The Lakers held an introductory press conference for Luka Dončić where him and Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka talked about how the shocking trade came together. Dončić also spoke about his surprise of the deal.
On July 6th, 2024, the Atlanta Hawks traded guard Dejounte Murray the New Orleans Pelicans for guard Dyson Daniels, forward E.J. Liddell, forward-center Larry Nance Jr., center Cody Zeller, a 2025 first round draft pick and a 2027 first round draft pick. Atlanta also received a trade exception.
Dejounte Murray, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin and head coach Willie Green spoke on the trade and Murray’s role with the Pelicans.
On June 27th, 2024, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded guard-forward Lindy Waters III to the Golden State Warriors for the draft rights of Quinten Post.
It only made sense for Lindy Waters III to sign a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2022. A 24-year old guard at the time, Waters attended high school in Norman, Oklahoma before playing college ball at Oklahoma State.
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Waters played in The Basketball League (TBL). He then joined the Thunder's NBA G-League team, the Oklahoma City Blue, after a successful tryout in 2021.
A citizen of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation, Waters made an impact with the Blue as a perimeter shooter. He played in 16 regular season G-League games with the Blue, compiling 11.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.6 APG and 1.8 SPG in 26.3 MPG.
During the latter stages of the 2021-22 NBA season, Waters signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City. The club was in the midst of a rebuild with a 17-37 record when Waters was signed. Oklahoma City went 7-21 the rest of the year to finish 24-58. Waters appeared in 25 games (one start), producing 8.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.0 APG and 0.8 SPG in 18.6 MPG.
Armed with several first round picks in the 2022 draft, the Thunder added center Chet Holmgren with the second overall pick and wing Jalen Williams with the 12th overall selection.
Waters joined the Thunder for Summer League in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. In five contests, he managed 5.6 PPG on 36.4% shooting in 13.8 MPG.
Waters stayed with the Thunder for the 2022-23 season. He split time with the Thunder and the Blue of the G-League. In 13 games with the Blue, Waters put up 16.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.3 APG and 1.7 SPG in 34.1 MPG.
In February, Waters had his two-way contract converted to a standard NBA deal. He signed for two years and $3.8 million with a team option for the 2023-24 season.
Holmgren missed the entire season due to a right foot injury suffered in the summer. However, with the presence of star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the emergence of young players like Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey, the Thunder were much improved. The team was just 11-18 after 29 games, but went 25-18 over the next 43 games to reach 36-36. Oklahoma City finished the regular season 40-42, putting the team in tenth in the West.
Waters had a limited role due to the Thunder's deep roster of wings. He even played some power forward to find time on the floor. In 41 appearances with Oklahoma City, Waters managed 5.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 0.7 APG in 13.0 MPG.
The Thunder qualified for the play-in tournament as the tenth seed and would need two road wins to make the playoffs. Oklahoma City played the ninth seed New Orleans Pelicans. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half as the Thunder held on for a 123-118 win.
Oklahoma City moved on to face the Minnesota Timberwolves for the eighth seed. Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Wolves held Oklahoma City to 36% shooting in a 120-95 rout. Waters scored five points in 16 minutes in the elimination game.
In the 2023 offseason, the Thunder declined the team option for Waters' contract. Soon after, the club signed Waters again to another two-way contract.
With Holmgren returning from his foot injury and the addition of lottery pick Cason Wallace, the Thunder were ready to continue an ascent to the playoffs.
It was clear early on in the 2023-24 season that the Thunder were one of the best teams in the NBA. The club got off to an 11-4 start and was 27-11 after 38 games. The winning continued as the Thunder finished as the first seed in the West with a 57-25 record, the team's best record in 10 years.
Waters had a small role in his third season with the Thunder. The wing played in 38 games and managed 3.6 PPG, 1.1 RPG and 0.6 APG in 7.4 MPG. He also appeared in 10 games with the G-League's Blue, producing 21.8 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 2.6 APG in 32.4 MPG. When the Thunder freed up a roster spot at the trade deadline, they converted Waters' two-way contract to a two-year deal with a team option in the last year.
After the strong season, the Thunder faced the 49-33 New Orleans Pelicans in the opening round. Pelicans star Zion Williamson was out after suffering a left hamstring injury during New Orleans' play-in game.
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points and the go-ahead bucket in the series opener as the Thunder won 94-92. Game Two wasn't close as the Thunder took a 2-0 lead with a 124-92 rout. The third game was similar as Oklahoma City won 106-85. The Thunder closed a 4-0 sweep with a 97-89 victory in Game Four.
Oklahoma City went on to the second round where the team faced the Dallas Mavericks. In the series opener, the Thunder won comfortably, 117-95. Game Two saw Mavericks star Luka Dončić and forward P.J. Washington combine for 58 points in a 119-110 Mavericks win.
The third game in Dallas was close as well. Washington had 27 points, and Dončić and Kyrie Irving teamed up with 44 points in a 105-101 Dallas win. The Thunder tied the series 2-2 after Gilgeous-Alexander put up 34 points as Oklahoma City made a second half run in a 100-96 victory.
Game Five was in Oklahoma City and Dončić was fabulous with a 31-point, 10-rebound and 11-assist triple double in a 104-92 Mavericks win. The sixth game saw the Thunder take a 17-point lead in the third quarter. Oklahoma City held a nine-point advantage in the fourth quarter but Dallas stormed back.
With 20 seconds left, Thunder center Chet Holmgren had a dunk to give the Thunder a 116-115 lead. However, Washington was fouled by Gilgeous-Alexander on a three-point attempt. Oklahoma City challenged the fouled but was unsuccessful, taking away all their timeouts.
Washington made the first two free-throws and missed the final attempt intentionally. The Thunder rebounded the ball and Jalen Williams missed a desperation attempt, giving the Mavericks the series. Waters played in three games with Oklahoma City during the club's 2024 playoff run and was scoreless in nine minutes.
After the season, Waters had his team option for the 2024-25 season exercised and he was traded to the Warriors. Waters ended his three-year run in Oklahoma City with a stat line of 5.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 0.7 APG in 103 appearances. The wing shot 42% from the field, 38% from the three-point line and 81% from the free-throw line.
The draft pick the Warriors sent to Oklahoma City would change hands one more time. The Thunder sent the 52nd draft pick with cash considerations to the Portland Trail Blazers for the 40th pick (Oso Ighodaro). The Blazers traded the pick swiftly back to the Warriors for cash considerations.
Officially, the trade was recorded as the Warriors drafting three-point shooting seven-foot center Quinten Post with the pick. Then the two trades with Oklahoma City and Portland happened for Post to land back in Golden State.
After the trade, Waters joined the Warriors as a depth option on the wing. He impressed in preseason, averaging 8.7 PPG on 44% from the three-point line. This included a game-winning three in Hawaii against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Waters began the year with limited playing time with the Warriors. But he soon started to see some minutes. When he did play initially, Waters shot well (38.5% in his first 15 games). However, Waters' shooting fell off massively (30.2% from three over his next 23 games) and he lost his spot in the rotation.
Golden State got off to a strong 12-3 start in the first 15 games of the regular season. However, the club went 3-12 over the next 15 to fall to 15-15. The offense was an issue as the Warriors were 25-25 when they made a shake up at the trade deadline. The club was involved in a five-team deal that brought in Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat.
In the same deal, the Warriors sent Waters along with guard Dennis Schröder to the Detroit Pistons. Waters appeared in 38 games (nine starts) and posted 5.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.1 APG and 0.6 SPG in 17.2 MPG.
Lindy Waters III on how he found out about the trade (via Golden State Warriors):
"I was on a family vacation in Mexico, just hanging out with them by the pool. I understood the situation leading up for months so I wasn't really surprised but it took me a little bit of time to process. It's my first time going through something like this. I'm thankful that I have my family with me."
On joining the Warriors:
"I grew up watching the Warriors and their style of basketball, and it excites me. I'm more than excited to be here."
If he knew he was going to be traded:
"Being around the league for the last three years. Seeing guys situations and how the business works, sometimes good things come to an end and doors open up so whether I stuck around in OKC for another year or two, I was ready for whatever opportunity."
On his role:
"I'm here to shoot the three and play defense and do whatever the team needs me to do. Whatever coach Kerr asked me to do I'm going put my head down and work for it."
On if Stephen Curry has reached out and if he's learned anything from watching Curry play:
"He hasn't reached out yet, but that's okay. I'll see him soon and give him a hard time about that. Just the way that he approaches every single day and tries to challenge himself and it doesn't matter how many threes he hits he's going to come in the next day and work just as hard as if he'd never hit a three. That's something that's inspiring to me and I can't wait to be around that every day."
Mike Dunleavy Jr. on acquiring Lindy Waters III and ending up getting back the 52nd pick the team traded to acquire Waters (via NBC Sports Bay Area):
"[We] had an opportunity to acquire a player in Lindy that we've liked for a long time. We think he fits a skill set that we look for, size, shooting, does some stuff on the court just more than shooting. [He] can play both ends, good cutter, and plays the style we want to play.
"There in Oklahoma City, [he] didn't play a ton but we felt versus the 52nd pick, this is a player that we feel would be better than 52. From that point, we decided all right now we're out of the second round and thus, out of the whole draft and decided that we wanted to get back in because there were some players we liked.
"Lo and behold, 52 was available and we really liked it again and so we got back in so it's a bit odd but there was no original plan to make it all work together but eventually it did and [we] ended up making that pick with Quentin [Post]."
How Waters has been someone the Warriors have been watching:
"He's a guy that we always identified as a guy that if ever — you know especially on a team with OKC who has so much depth — he were able to shake free on the open market or via trade...
"[He's] kind of a buy-low guy and I think with our pick this year, it was something that worked for [OKC] and worked for us. Looking at his production in the G-League and then some of the games that he was able to play in at the NBA level we felt like while him still being a young age, this is the right guy to bet on at this point and that was the thought process going into that."
On if Waters will make the rotation:
"Absolutely, yeah. I don't think we would have traded for a guy using a draft pick if we didn't think that. Again, with his skill set and the way he plays, I think it fits how we play so we feel like he's a guy you can plug and play and like everybody else, if he performs well and does the things that are asked of him, I think we have a good chance of finding a player that's going to work well for us."
On February 8th, 2024, the Philadelphia 76ers traded guard Jaden Springer to the Boston Celtics for a 2024 second round draft pick. Philadelphia received a trade exception.
Springer spoke to the media about how he found out about the trade, how he can help defensively and his happiness with Boston’s interest in him.
On February 8th, 2024, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded guards Tre Mann, and Vasilije Micić, forward Davis Bertans, cash considerations a 2024 second round draft pick and a 2025 second round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets for forward Gordon Hayward. Charlotte received a trade exception.
Mann spoke to the local media about how he knew a trade was bound to happen at the deadline, how Thunder general manager Sam Presti had kept him in the loop of a potential trade and how he’s improved as a playmaker.
On February 8th, 2024, the Dallas Mavericks traded forward-center Grant Williams and guard Seth Curry to the Charlotte Hornets for forward-center P.J. Washington. Dallas received a trade exception. Charlotte also received a trade exception.
Williams spoke to the Hornets media during a media availability about the opportunity to return home to Charlotte, bringing his “veteran” experience to a Hornets roster and his family’s happiness with him playing for his hometown team.
On February 8th, 2024, the Detroit Pistons traded guard-forward Alec Burks and forward Bojan Bogdanovic to the New York Knicks for cash considerations and guards Ryan Arcidiacono, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes. New York received a trade exception and Detroit also received a trade exception.
Knicks new acquisitions Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks spoke to the local media ahead of their debuts with the Knicks. Burks spoke about reuniting with the Knicks and head coach Tom Thibodeau and Bogdanovic talked about playing off New York’s two All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
On February 8th, 2024: As part of a three-team trade, the Brooklyn Nets traded forward-guard Royce O’Neale to the Phoenix Suns; the Memphis Grizzlies traded the draft rights of Vanja Marinkovic to the Nets; the Grizzlies traded forward David Roddy to the Suns.
The Suns traded forward Keita Bates-Diop, guard Jordan Goodwin, a 2026 second round draft pick, a 2028 second round draft pick and a 2029 second round draft pick to the Nets; and the Suns traded forward-center Chimezie Metu, forward Yuta Watanabe and a 2026 first round draft pick to the Grizzlies. Memphis received a trade exception. Brooklyn also received a trade exception.
Royce O’Neale joined the Suns and talked about his excitement to join Phoenix, play with Suns star Kevin Durant for a second time and how his defensive and offensive versatility fits with Phoenix.
On February 7th, 2024, the Memphis Grizzlies traded center-forward Xavier Tillman Sr. to the Boston Celtics for forward Lamar Stevens, a 2027 second round draft pick and a 2030 second round draft pick. Boston received a trade exception. Memphis also received a trade exception.
Xavier Tillman spoke to the media about dealing with a knee injury, how he found out about the trade, and getting adjusted to the city of Boston and the Celtics franchise.
On February 8th, 2024, the Toronto Raptors traded guard Dennis Schröder and forward Thaddeus Young to the Brooklyn Nets for guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Brooklyn also received a trade exception.
Schröder spoke to the Brooklyn media about how he found out about the trade and the chance to play with new teammates like Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson.
Brooklyn Nets Add Dennis Schröder in Deal with Toronto Raptors
On February 8th, 2024, the Toronto Raptors traded guard Dennis Schröder and forward-center Thaddeus Young to the Brooklyn Nets for guard Spencer Dinwiddie. Brooklyn also received a trade exception.
When the Toronto Raptors added veteran forward Thaddeus Young in a trade deadline deal with the San Antonio Spurs, it was the continuation of a theme. Standing 6-8, Young joined a Raptors team with a cadre of long and athletic forwards at the height of 6-7 to 6-9 such as Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
Young was the veteran sage off the bench for a Toronto team looking to get back into the playoffs. 31-23 after a win right after the deadline's end, the Raptors went 17-11 the rest of the way to finish fifth in the East with a 48-34 record.
Young was a mentor to forwards like Barnes and Precious Achiuwa and also established himself as a solid playmaker and screener. He made 26 appearances with the Raptors and averaged 6.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.2 SPG in 18.3 MPG.
Toronto matched up with the fourth seeded Philadelphia 76ers. Philadelphia took an 18-point lead at halftime of the series opener. 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey led the way with 38 points as Philadelphia won 131-111. 76ers center Joel Embiid recorded 31 points and 11 rebounds in Game Two as Philadelphia took the game 112-97.
Facing a 2-0 deficit, the Raptors came out aggressive and led by 15 points in the first half at home, but the 76ers made a run. Both teams traded leads in the fourth quarter of Game Three. After the Raptors took a 95-90 lead with 2:03 left, they went scoreless the rest of the fourth quarter. The 76ers scored the final five points to send the game to overtime.
In the overtime, Embiid hit a three-pointer with 0.7 seconds left to win the game. The win gave Philadelphia a 3-0 series lead. Facing elimination, the Raptors stepped up. Pascal Siakam had 34 points. After playing just 19 minutes and 17 seconds in the first three games, Young became an x-factor in Game Four. The forward played nearly 30 minutes and had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists while guarding Embiid for parts of the game. Toronto won the game 110-102.
Toronto established a 14-point lead early on in Game Five and dominated on the road. Siakam had 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Raptors coasted to a 103-88 victory.
Game Six was close in the first half but Philadelphia took control in the second half, outscoring Toronto 70-36, eliminating the Raptors with a 132-97 rout. Outside of the eruption in Game Four, Young was relatively quiet. In six games, he managed 3.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.8 SPG in 14.5 MPG.
Young re-signed with the Raptors on a two-year, $16 million deal. Other then a deal to sign veteran forward Otto Porter, the Raptors kept their core together for the 2022-23 season.
After a strong performance the previous season, there was hope the Raptors could build off of it. The team began the season a solid 11-9 but losses would pile up soon. Toronto proceeded to drop nine of its next 11 to fall to 13-18.
At the trade deadline, the Raptors were in 10th place with a 26-30 record. The club made a move, acquiring center Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs. Lacking depth at the center gave the Raptors hope in the latter stages of the season.
Toronto played well enough, moving up to ninth in the East after going 15-11 the rest of the season. It left them with a 41-41 record. Young began the season in a bit role, even receiving DNPs from coach Nick Nurse. But Young handled it well and later saw an uptick in minutes.
However, Young was out of the rotation for most of the season's latter stages. He did not play in the team's last 14 games of the regular season. Young appeared in 54 games (nine starts), and compiled 4.4 Ppg, 3.1 RPG, 1.4 APG and 1.0 SPG in 14.7 MPG. '
As the ninth seed, the Raptors qualified for the nine seed versus ten seed play-in game. They hosted the Chicago Bulls in an elimination game. The Raptors led by 11 in the first half, but Chicago outscored Toronto 37-24 in the fourth quarter to win 109-105 and eliminate the Raptors from the playoffs. Young did not play in the game.
The disappointing finish to the season led to the start of a re-tool for the Raptors. Head coach Nick Nurse was fired. The Raptors replaced Nurse with Memphis Grizzlies assistant coach Darko Rajaković.
In free agency, the Raptors suffered a significant loss when All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet left Toronto to sign a multi-year deal with the Houston Rockets. Needing to replace VanVleet, the Raptors signed guard Dennis Schröder to a two-year, $26 million deal.
Rumors throughout the season continued to swirl for the Raptors into the offseason. Starters Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby were both likely headed to free agency in the 2024 offseason and questions arose. Would the Raptors re-sign the two homegrown talents and last ties to the team's 2019 NBA championship?
The Raptors kept the two and seemed to want to stay competitive. Adding Schröder seemed to endorse that way of thinking. The point guard was able to find a team that paid him while giving him an opportunity to be a lead guard.
The club got off to a decent 8-8 start during the 2023-24 season but soon went 4-11 to fall to 12-19. Toronto began to make moves. Anunoby was the first to go, as he was dealt with Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a second round pick. A few weeks later, the Raptors moved Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for Bruce Brown, Kira Lewis Jr., Jordan Nwora and three first round draft picks.
The deals sapped the Raptors of its veteran talent and now the team was pivoting to a rebuild around young forward Scottie Barnes. With the team continuing to lose and falling to 12th in the East with an 18-33 record, the Raptors made two more deals before the trade deadline. The club acquired Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk in a trade with the Utah Jazz. The Raptors also sent Schröder and Young to the Brooklyn Nets for the expiring contract of Spencer Dinwiddie.
Schröder's brief time in Toronto began with him as a starter. But by late December, the Raptors wanted to hand Barnes more ballhandling responsibilities and moved Schröder to the bench. Part of the reason Schröder signed with Toronto was a chance at a starting opportunity which faded even further away with the addition of Quickley as the team's point guard of now and the future.
Schröder appeared in 51 games (33 starts) with Toronto and contributed 13.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 6.1 APG and 0.9 SPG in 30.6 MPG. Young began the season out of the rotation but saw minutes in January and February thanks to injuries and the trades. He appeared in 23 games (six starts) and compiled 5.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.2 APG and 0.8 SPG in 15.2 MPG.
Over two years, Young managed 5.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG and 1.0 SPG in 103 career games. The forward shot 53% from the field, 29% from the three-point line and 55% from the charity stripe.
Spencer Dinwiddie joined the Brooklyn Nets after he was sent by the Dallas Mavericks with Dorian Finney-Smith to Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving trade before the 2023 trade deadline. The deal saw Dinwiddie arrive for his second stint in Brooklyn.
Shortly after Irving was dealt, fellow Nets superstar Kevin Durant aimed for a trade (for a second time) and was soon sent to the Phoenix Suns for a massive haul including Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and several first round draft picks and pick swaps.
By dealing away Irving and Durant, Brooklyn was officially out of any championship contention talks, but since they didn't own their own draft picks, the franchise wanted to stay competitive. With the several veterans acquired, Brooklyn looked to keep up in the East playoff race the rest of the year.
32-22 at the trade deadline, Brooklyn went 13-15 the rest of the season, finishing sixth in the East. Dinwiddie was elevated to starting point guard after the trade.
Though his shooting numbers (28.9% on 5.7 three-point attempts per game and 46.5% effective field goal shooting) were subpar, Dinwiddie flourished as a playmaker, averaging what would've been a career-high 9.1 APG if stretched out over an entire year. In 26 games, Dinwiddie also put up 16.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 1.1 SPG in 35.3 MPG.
The first round of the 2023 playoffs saw the Nets match up with the 54-28 Philadelphia 76ers. A priority for the Nets in the series was containing MVP Joel Embiid. In the series opener, the Nets doubled Embiid almost every time he touched the ball but it opened up opportunities for his teammates.
The 76ers set a franchise record with 21 three-pointers and Philadelphia won 121-101. In Game Two, 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey had a game-high 33 points and the 76ers outscored Brooklyn 52-35 in a 96-84 victory.
Game Three was tense. Embiid was nearly ejected in the early stages of the game for kicking Nic Claxton in the groin area after the Nets center taunted him. 76ers guard James Harden was ejected late in the third quarter after picking up a flagrant foul penalty two for a forearm to Nets forward Royce O'Neale's groin area.
The 76ers had an 11-point lead in Game Three at halftime but the Nets came back and took a lead heading into the fourth. Both teams fought back and forth. Brooklyn led by five with five minutes left, but the 76ers went on a 12-4 run over four minutes and 22 seconds to gain a three-point edge with 44 seconds left.
Dinwiddie was fouled with 39 seconds left and split a pair of free-throws. After a Philadelphia miss, Dinwiddie had a chance to tie but his layup attempt was blocked by Embiid with eight seconds left. Philadelphia would hold on for a 102-97 victory.
Embiid missed Game Four with a sprained right knee. Still, Philadelphia had 15 offensive rebounds and outscored Brooklyn 56-40 in the second half as they took control and won 96-88, completing a 4-0 sweep of the Nets. Dinwiddie started all four games in the sweep, producing 16.5 PPG on 43.1% from the field, 3.3 RPG, 6.5 APG and 1.3 SPG in 39.8 MPG.
After the season, the Nets kept its roster together. The club had two first round picks back-to-back (21st and 22nd) and selected forward Noah Clowney and guard Dariq Whitehead respectively.
Brooklyn was solid to start the 2023-24 season. The team was tied for seventh in the East, with a 12-9 record after its first 21 games. However, the Nets lost 11 of the next 14 games to fall to 15-20. The losses would continue as Brooklyn fell to 20-30 at the trade deadline.
Dinwiddie was expected to share point guard responsibilities with Ben Simmons, but Simmons missed significant time due to injury. Dinwiddie was a starter but became extremely passive as a scorer during the season. In January, Dinwiddie's refusal to be aggressive came under some criticism as he went a stretch of eight out of 10 games attempting less than ten shots.
Brooklyn needed Dinwiddie to be aggressive as its overall offense struggled throughout the season. With his contract set to expire after the season, the Nets decided to move on and deal Dinwiddie at the deadline.
During the '23-'24 season, Dinwiddie appeared in 48 games with Brooklyn. The 6-5 guard put up 12.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.0 APG and 0.8 SPG in 30.7 MPG. In his second stint with Brooklyn, Dinwiddie made 74 appearances, averaging 14.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 7.1 APG and 0.9 SPG. He posted shooting splits of 40/31/79 in that time.
In the deal, the Nets created a $20.3 million trade exception by fitting Young into a trade exception the Nets had from sending Royce O'Neale to the Phoenix Suns on the same day and fitting Schröder into a trade exception the team created from the Kevin Durant deal in 2023. Brooklyn sending Dinwiddie to Toronto created that new exception.
Soon after the trade, the Raptors waived Dinwiddie. Releasing the guard allowed Toronto to get out of a $1.5 million bonus for games played. After flirting with both the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, Dinwiddie opted for a deal for the rest of the season with the Lakers.
The Nets waived Thaddeus Young immediately after the trade as well. He later signed a deal with the Phoenix Suns for the rest of the season. As the lone player remaining from the trade, Dennis Schröder initially came off the bench in four of his first five games with the Nets. He started every game he played in the remainder of the year after. Overall, the guard appeared in 29 games (25 starts) and contributed 14.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 6.0 APG and 0.6 SPG in 32.0 MPG.
The Nets were 20-31 when Schröder made his debut with the club. Soon after, the Nets fired head coach Jacque Vaughn and assistant Kevin Ollie took over on an interim basis. Brooklyn went 12-19 over the final 31 games to finish out of the postseason with a 32-50 record.
In the 2024 offseason, the Nets seemed to entertain a rebuild. First, the Nets were able to re-acquire the rights to their own first round picks in 2025 and 2026 from the Houston Rockets while sending out swap rights to the Phoenix Suns' first round pick in 2025, a 2027 first round pick from the Suns to the Rockets.
Finally, Brooklyn sent Houston the rights to the more favorable of either the Dallas Mavericks or Suns' first round pick in 2029. The Rockets also acquired the right to swap their own first round pick for the less favorable of either the Mavericks’ or Suns' first round pick.
In conjunction with that convoluted deal, the Nets traded featured piece Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in a six-player deal that brought back five first round draft picks and a pick swap.
The combined deals was an admission that the Nets would be building for the future. The club now had control of its own draft pick in 2025, giving it a chance to lose and obtain a top pick. The Nets also hired Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez as head coach.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Nets were expected to be one of the worst teams. There was also an expectation that the club could sell off veterans like Schröder, Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith to accumulate draft picks and rack up losses for a higher draft pick.
Brooklyn was an early surprise team, going 9-10 in the first 19 games. Schröder was playing at an exceptional level early on. Though he was playing well, it hurt Brooklyn's chance to draft high in the lottery. After 25 games, the Nets were 10-15 and in 10th place in the East. At that point, Brooklyn dealt Schröder with a conditional 2025 second round pick to the Golden State Warriors for guard De'Anthony Melton and three future second round picks in 2026, 2028 and 2029.
Schröder was having one of his finest seasons. The 6-1 guard started all 23 games he played in and accumulated 18.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.6 APG and 1.1 SPG in 33.6 MPG on efficient shooting numbers. In 52 career games with Brooklyn, Schröder managed 16.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.3 APG and 0.8 SPG. The guard had shooting splits of 44/40/85 during that time.
Dennis Schröder on the Nets roster (via New York Post):
"Every single day, I try to get better, and we’ve got a lot of talent in this locker room. I remember when Mikal [Bridges] and Cam [Johnson], they was on the Phoenix team, and we played them in the first playoff round. Really, really talented players. Lonnie [Walker IV], we made it last year to the Western Conference Finals. He had really big games for us.
"And everybody else in that locker room have great intentions of winning. And I just want to every single day give everything I have to win the day or win the game when we have one."
On the difficulty of moving to a new city from a personal perspective:
"Having a family, having three kids, a wife, it's not easy. But at the end of the day, nothing really changed. Of course, I go to a new city, new situation. But at the end of the day, we play basketball for a living and really extremely grateful for it. And can't wait to get to know everybody in the locker room, front office, everybody who is in this organization and get to work."
His take on Brooklyn as a city:
"Big city. I’m from Germany, Braunschweig, 250,000 people only, really small city, but at the end of the day, like I said, I mean, I'm a family person, always with my kids, my wife and my loved ones and of course the traffic is gonna hurt a little bit. But other than that, I mean, New York is always a big city, but it was always fun when I was here. Fans in Brooklyn was great as well. So I'm just excited, you know, take it day by day and try to get some wins."
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks on the team's priorities after making two deadline deals (via Clutch Points):
“We go into these days always thinking about future flexibility. Try to maintain some level of sustainability when we're looking at, how's the team look this year? How's it gonna look in six months time from now? How's it gonna look in three, four years?
"We feel pretty good about adding the players that we added, but at the same time, you're keeping some of those draft assets as well. And again, that future flexibility.”
Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster on the team's overall trade deadlines and creating flexibility with the Dennis Schröder deal (via Toronto Raptors):
"We did our heavy lifting about a month ago. So I feel like this trade deadline we cleaned up a lot of things and we addressed some of the things we talked about after the OG [Anunoby] and Pascal [Siakam] trades...
"Financially we were able to you know gain some more flexibility in the summer with the Dennis trade."
On January 23rd, 2024, the Charlotte Hornets traded guard Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat for guard Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first round draft pick. Miami also received a trade exception.
Terry Rozier spoke to the media about joining a playoff challenging team in the Miami Heat, his relationship with retired Heat legend Dwyane Wade and how he fits with center Bam Adebayo.
On December 30th, 2023, the New York Knicks traded forward-guard RJ Barrett, guard Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second round draft pick to the Toronto Raptors for forward-center Precious Achiuwa, forward OG Anunoby and guard Malachi Flynn. Toronto and New York both received a trade exception. The second round pick is originally owned by Detroit.
Immanuel Quickley spoke to the media about how he found out about the trade, the opportunity to expand his game and his friendship with fellow traded player RJ Barrett.
On December 30th, 2023, the New York Knicks traded forward-guard RJ Barrett, guard Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second round draft pick to the Toronto Raptors for forward-center Precious Achiuwa, forward OG Anunoby and guard Malachi Flynn. Toronto and New York both received a trade exception. The second round pick is originally owned by Detroit.
RJ Barrett spoke to the Toronto media about having a fresh start in Torontom his first reaction to the trade and his happiness with returning back to his home of Toronto.
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