NBA Rumors: 1 Stipulation the Brooklyn Nets have set ahead of the trade deadline

NBA Rumors: If the Brooklyn Nets make any moves at the trade deadline, there's one stipulation they're likely to follow.

Entering this season, the Brooklyn Nets were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league. At least through the first quarter of the season, that hasn't been the case. But even though the Nets have been more competitive than most predicted, this is still a team that is in the early stages of a rebuild. And because of that, there's an expectation that they're going to emerge as one of the most active teams ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.

With potential trade deadline candidates like Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder, and perhaps even Cam Thomas on the team, there's an opportunity for the Nets to make several deadline moves. However, if the Nets are going to make a move ahead of the trade deadline, there's one reported stipulation that the team is going to try to hold true to.

According to a recent report, the Nets are surely open for business but they don't want to take back any long-term money in the process. Brooklyn isn't desperate to trade anyone on their roster but is willing to listen to trade inquiries ahead of the deadline.

What are realistic expectations for the Brooklyn Nets at the deadline?

In theory, it's easy to say that there are several players on their roster that a team should be willing to trade. However, finding a path toward multiple moves at the trade deadline has proven to be a difficult task over the course of history. I can't imagine that's going to be any different for the Nets as they approach the trade deadline with plenty of expectations to make moves.

Realistically, however, there's a chance the Nets make one or two moves. At least personally, I would be shocked if we saw a complete reconstruction of their roster at the deadline. Maybe if the moves begin to happen in January and then conclude in February, then perhaps there's a better chance for a huge roster facelift. However, that is almost never the case for most teams.

It's hard to agree to a trade in-season, especially when there are supposed stipulations already in place. There's simply not a ton of time for much back-and-forth negotiations, generally. Nevertheless, expect the Nets to be one of the primary teams involved at the deadline. Whether they end up making multiple moves or not, it's clear that they have several players who could be highly sought-after at the trade deadline. They'll certainly have options. The question is, how aggressive will the Nets be with this one big stipulation?