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While speaking on ESPN's Mock Draft Special, NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski said the Brooklyn Nets have no plans to trade Mikal Bridges. Instead, the Nets plan to make Bridges the centerpiece of their team.

“Mikal Bridges is a player that they’re going to build around," Wojnarowski said. "The kind of offers the Nets have gotten for him speaks to how valuable he is, a player I think for Brooklyn, they keep in place when the next big star is available in a trade.”

The Nets acquired Bridges as part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns at the trade deadline. In 27 games with Brooklyn, Bridges averaged 26.1 points on 48% shooting from the field.

Via Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Is he a build around kind of guy?

DoctorDunc wrote:Is he a build around kind of guy?

Asked the same question but sounds like it’s just semantics. Article is actually just saying they want to keep him and have him be a building block, not that he’s a franchise guy to build evething around.

What do you think they’re going to say? “We don’t have anyone else and BS is a basket case so let’s roll with this fellow until someone better wants to come here.”

It looks like the Nets are looking to bring in the Batman to his Robin over the next year or two.

The young valuable players and the massive pick haul they received after trading the 2 HOF's away last season gives them a chance to "pounce" on the next stud player that aligns with their youth.

Many assume they might get Dame or Zion this offseason. But, it might make more sense to wait a year or two longer and just get slightly better each season around the edges to prepare the team for "that guy."

Nets have a good piece to start a rebuild from the disastrous big three experiment.

The article threw me off. I thought they were going to say Ben Simmons...Huh Weird

Nets are in a great place considering they went nuclear just last season. Kudos to Sean Marks.

Core of Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, Ben Simmons and secondary pieces like Royce O’Neale, Finney-Smith, Cam Thomas.

Nets need a PG for their core. Should be players for Tyrus Jones if he’s actually on the trade block.

Marks has expirings in Dinwiddie, Harris, Mills to further upgrade the Nets without trading away his core players.

If you build around someone, then it means that player is a franchise player.
That said, I do not think Bridges is a player to build around. He is good. Better than what most thought. But lacks that edge that separates the stars from the next level, at least.
He is not LBJ, not Anteto, not Jokic, not Embiid, not even Lillard, although he plays defence 6 levels above Lillard.

HotelVitale wrote:

DoctorDunc wrote:Is he a build around kind of guy?

Asked the same question but sounds like it’s just semantics. Article is actually just saying they want to keep him and have him be a building block, not that he’s a franchise guy to build evething around.

He's a heck of a #2-3. If you've got one of those guys you keep them... at least until something better comes along.