Armed with surplus trade capital, Brooklyn could leverage the No. 6 pick to land superstar Ja Morant or vault into the top three for a franchise-altering prospect.
While falling to the No. 6 overall pick was not the outcome that the Brooklyn Nets were hoping for, this year's draft presents many talented and NBA-ready guys throughout the first round.
But, if Brooklyn gets impatient and decides to make a move, the Nets certainly have the additional capital and cap space to do so.
On Thursday, Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley floated the idea of Brooklyn moving up to No. 3 with the Memphis Grizzlies, also acquiring Ja Morant, their disgruntled star.
"While there's been some cold water thrown on the idea of the Grizzlies using the No. 3 pick to rid themselves of Morant, the possibility still seems worth exploring for Memphis..." Buckley wrote. "Morant's stock is sliding, but he quietly looked great before an elbow injury ended his season (23.5 points, 9.3 assists over his final six outings)."
In return, Brooklyn would give up the No. 6 pick, along with Nic Claxton and Terance Mann.
While it seems unlikely Memphis would want to move down and lose Morant, the relationship between the franchise and their former No. 2 overall pick has seemingly been severed.
For the Nets, they would make right on their pre-lottery chances, moving into the top 3 and likely drafting Duke's Cameron Boozer or North Carolina's Caleb Wilson.
Morant would also get a fresh start with a young, engaging team around him, similar to the Grizzlies squad he found success with in his early Memphis years.
The Nets have also been linked to projected No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, with SB Nation tagging Brooklyn as the best landing spot for the BYU star.
"Fernandez feels like the ideal head coach for Dybantsa in the NBA," SB Nation's Ricky O'Donnell wrote. "And going to Brooklyn would also give him a long leash to learn how to lead a franchise while they build the team around him."
Following the lottery, it was reported that Dybantsa had met with multiple teams outside of the top-selecting Washington Wizards, including the Nets.
Throughout the post-lottery process thus far, the Wizards have made it known that they are considering every option with their general manager saying this draft is not a "savior" moment for their franchise.
Many teams will of course be in the "Dybantsa sweepstakes," but the Nets may have the resources available to pull the trigger on the nation's leading scorer.
With the Wizards' uncertainty and Dybantsa's major upside, Nets General Manager Sean Marks could accelerate Brooklyn's rebuild by trading up for the BYU-star.
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