Brooklyn Nets planning another salary dump?

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets planning another salary dump?

So far, the Brooklyn Nets have used up nearly $40 million of their salary cap space, taking on Terrance Mann, Michael Porter Jr. and Haywood Highsmith and paying out another $1.1 million in cash considerations, all to pick up an unprotected first rounder from the Atlanta Hawks in 2025 (which became Drake Powell,) an unprotected Nuggets first rounder in 2032 and unprotected Miami Heat second rounder in that same draft. They sent Cam Johnson to Denver for MPJ.

By most estimates, Brooklyn still has about $16 million left and go higher depending on what happens with Cam Thomas and the five players with team options.

So, they’re almost certainly not done. On Thursday, Jake Fischer wrote on The Steinline that even this late in the off-season, Brooklyn’s strategy remains unchanged.

And as reports Wednesday indicated, their next deal could be with the Dallas Mavericks. In order, Marc Stein of The Steinline, Yossi Gozlan of capsheets.com and Brett Siegel of Clutch Points all reported in varying detail that the Nets could be part of discussions to help the Dallas Mavericks get under the second apron with Olivier-Maxience Prosper, a 23-year-old 6’7” power forward heading to Brooklyn along with future draft assets.

Of the three, Siegel was the most specific…

Dallas has engaged in trade conversations regarding OMax over the last two weeks of August and are actively talking with a couple of teams about a trade before training camp. The main motivation for potentially moving Prosper is to give him an opportunity to grow elsewhere and open a roster spot to officially sign Dante Exum.

The Brooklyn Nets and the Miami Heat could make sense as potential suitors for the Mavs’ young forward, especially if they are to receive minor draft compensation from Dallas.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper was one of the Nets’ targets in the 2023 NBA Draft before they ended up with Noah Clowney, (Prosper was taken at No. 24, Clowney at No. 21.)

The Dallas-based Stein also reported current interest on the Mavs part to move OMax as he’s known.

The Mavericks have ramped up their efforts to create the needed roster space to complete the signing of Dante Exum, sources tell @JakeLFischer and me.

The push has focused on finding a new home via trade for Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

More NBA from us: https://t.co/A5kReK6BoJ pic.twitter.com/tt4wz8CFNv

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 27, 2025

Gozlan who wrote about possible Nets interest in Prosper earlier this month had this to report Wednesday in a follow-on to Stein’s tweet…

The Mavericks have two second-round picks to trade as an incentive for a team to take on Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

They could waive and stretch him to create apron space to sign Dante Exum and keep draft equity.

Deadline to stretch a player’s 2025-26 salary is Friday, August 29. https://t.co/942HDly5cn

— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) August 27, 2025

Indeed, the Mavs have two second rounders, the Philadelphia 76ers in 2030 and their own in 2032, but neither would seem that appealing. To start, the Nets already have 19 seconds over the next seven years and Cooper Flagg will only be 25 in 2032. How valuable could that Mavs pick be?

However, the Nets and Mavericks have intertwined draft fortunes. Brooklyn controls Dallas second rounders in 2029 and 2030, the last vestiges of the Kyrie Irving deal. Also in 2029, the Nets and Mavs first rounders are linked. In simple terms, the Nets receive the least favorable of first round picks among their own, the Mavs and Suns, part of the June 2024 exchange of picks between the Nets and Houston Rockets. So purely speculating, there are opportunities for an unconventional return beyond just second rounders.

As for Prosper, he has largely been a disappointment in Dallas, playing 92 games in two years, averaging 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. Moreover, he underwent right wrist surgery in May. The Montreal native is currently guaranteed for 2025-26 at $3.0 million but whoever holds his rights has the option of not extending him for 2026-27. The deadline October 31. While the Nets may have had interest in him back in 2023 when he played at Marquette, their current interest is not known.

Fischer also speculated that the Nets will be offering newly acquired Haywood Highsmith as soon as he can be dealt on December 15.

He remains immediately trade-eligible as we speak, but that date is the unofficial start to the NBA’s in-season trade frenzy, with the majority of free agents who signed new deals this summer becoming trade-eligible then.

It’s no secret that his new team has no plans to be competitive this season. Brooklyn will continue to operate as a salary-dumping destination and/or three-team trade facilitator in hopes of stockpiling more draft capital.

And Brooklyn’s phone certainly figures to ring with interest in Highsmith, who has shown strong 3-and-D potential when healthy and already possesses some valuable postseason experience. The 28-year-old is also crucially scheduled to earn a modest $5.6 million this season, which would make him a comfortable addition for a contender in need of such attributes … provided Highsmith plays well as a Net.

The Nets of course lead the league with 13 firsts — six of them tradeable — and 19 seconds over the next seven years.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/nets-free...57/brooklyn-nets-planning-another-salary-dump