Thaddeus Young
The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly shopping Thaddeus Young, according to the latest NBA trade rumours. Reuters/John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets could be one of the trade players before the Feb. 18 deadline as the team is reportedly working a deal that would send Thaddeus Young to the Toronto Raptors.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported that the Nets are open to moving Young and All-Star centre Brook Lopez amid the team’s search for their new general manager. According to Isola, one potential deal for the Nets is sending Young to the Raptors for Patrick Patterson and Delon Wright, and probably New York Knicks’ 2016 first round pick.

“One scenario has Young being moved to Toronto for a package that could include Patrick Patterson and point guard Delon Wright,” Isola noted. “The Nets may want a first round pick and Toronto just happens to own the Knicks 2016 first round pick.”

Briand Windhorst of ESPN revealed that the Raptors are looking to add depth in their frontcourt, with Young among the team’s targeted players in the trading season. Surprisingly, the Raptors are on pace to become a legitimate title contender despite missing the service of DeMarre Carroll, who is recovering from a surgery that repaired his right meniscus. Adding Young would give them athleticism at the power forward position, which could serve them well come playoff time.

However, according to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is committed in retaining Young and Lopez with a belief that Brooklyn could surround both players with free agents this summer and instantly return to contention.

The Nets are second at the bottom of the East standings with a 14-40 record, so trading Young, or Lopez, would make sense for a complete rebuild of the franchise. Moreover, it seems the only way that the Nets would get rebuilding pieces is via trade, with the team already out of future draft picks for 2016, according to Real GM.

But if the Nets are looking to immediately contend instead of banking on draft picks, they may consider looking for a deal that could give them a quality return.

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