The Brooklyn Nets will also trade up
The Brooklyn Nets are another team that is reportedly looking to trade up in the 2023 NBA Draft. They head into the draft with the No. 21 and 22 picks. They could look to package those picks to move up a few spots. I’m not sure they’d be able to package those picks to move into the lottery without adding another player to the mix. I’d imagine that the Nets are eyeing a ready-to-play guard or a power forward.
On the surface, Dereck Livley II could be viewed as a potential option for the Nets, but with how much Lively has risen up draft boards recently, I think that ship has sailed. They could look at one of the possible point guards that takes a tumble, potentially Nick Smith Jr. who is a high-risk, high-reward type of selection.
The Nets are in an interesting spot heading into the NBA Draft. They have a strong core to build around and assets to pull the trigger on a big deal if they wanted. They will wait and see how the Damian Lillard situation plays out, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make a smaller-type move in the NBA Draft.