The 2022-23 season for the Brooklyn Nets was a roller coaster. After a 27-13 start to the season, everything went downhill from there. Kevin Durant got injured, then Kyrie Irving and himself were traded before the deadline. That left Brooklyn with four new starters and a short amount of time for new players to get acquainted. After being swept in the first round of the playoffs, reports say that the Brooklyn Nets could revisit Royce O’Neale trade talks this offseason.
Twenty-nine-year-old Royce O’Neale spent his first season with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022-23. He previously spent the first five seasons of his career with the Utah Jazz. O’Neale averaged a career-high (8.8) points, (3.7) rebounds and a (.389) three-point percentage.
Along with Durant and Irving, O’Neale was almost traded at the deadline as well. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been desperately trying to find a replacement at SF since LeBron James left. Trading for O’Neale was almost the answer to that. At least for this past season.
Should the Cleveland Cavaliers pursue Royce O’Neale in the offseason?https://t.co/l657sWer95
— Cavs Nation (@CavsNationCP) May 18, 2023
Royce O’Neale could still be on the trading block for the Brooklyn Nets this offseason
When the Nets traded away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn suddenly has a surplus amount of wing players. The Nets acquired Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith. All players who are SF/PFs and play on the wing. Brooklyn already had Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, and Yuta Watanabe.
Once the new players arrived, O’Neale lost his starting spot. He played in 76 of Brooklyn’s 82 games this regular season and made 53 starts. Head coach Jacque Vaughn asked O’Neale to embrace a bench role for the rest of the season and he did so without hesitation.
With their surplus of wing players, Royce O’Neale is certainly someone the Nets will be taking trade calls for this summer. Brooklyn may see O’Neale as a valuable piece to their future and might not want to deal him away. He’s on a partially guaranteed contract worth $9.5 million with the Nets next season.
