The Nets' pre-Christmas two-game trip is a little bit of what could have been and a lot of what could be. Everything about the Nets right now is what could be.

Everyone knows what is happening: the Nets are in transition and won’t make the playoffs as constituted, but have young assets, expiring contracts and draft picks to make trades, and improve quickly with Carmelo Anthony, their top target. He’s definitely in the “what could be” category and has a connection to this trip.

The Nets open up tomorrow in Memphis, where they finally will see Rudy Gay.

The high-scoring small forward was considered the Nets’ fallback option if they couldn’t get LeBron James in free agency. It turned out they couldn’t get either.

Coach Avery Johnson and Nets’ executives were scheduled to meet with Gay in New York City after returned from Cleveland and Chicago where they met with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the first day of the free-agent negotiating period.

The Nets were preparing a front-loaded (near) max deal to make it difficult for the Grizzlies to match for Gay, who was a restricted free agent. But Memphis surprisingly locked up Gay the very first day. The Nets never got the chance to meet with him.

That should have been the omen that the Nets wouldn’t be successful in free agency, that their safety guy wound up being an impossibility right away. It also probably changed what they did and what they’re doing now.

Had the Nets gotten Gay, a young small forward, they may not be pursuing Anthony as strongly they have. Then again, the Nuggets could have had an interest in Gay as a possible replacement for Anthony.

We’re not comparing Gay to Anthony. But getting Gay could have changed everything. The Nets obviously would not have signed Travis Outlaw.

From Memphis, the Nets go to New Orleans, where Johnson nearly became the coach. If Johnson had been hired in his hometown, things definitely could have gone differently in free agency.

When the Nets failed to get the top three guys - as well as Gay, Carlos Boozer and Tyrus Thomas – they went after the guys on Johnson’s list. They wound up with Outlaw, Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar and Johan Petro. A different coach may not have wanted all of the pieces from that Fab Four.

New Orleans, though, is all about Chris Paul.

Most NBA people would agree that Paul loves New Orleans, but longs for more professionally. He wants to win. He wants to team with a great player and make that happen. Maybe it’s Dwight Howard and maybe it’s Anthony.

The team that gets Anthony has a good shot at Paul, whether it’s through a trade or when he’s a free agent in 2012. They’re represented by the same agency, the same one, by the way, that also lists James, Wade and Bosh as clients.

Hmmmm.

The Nets’ dream is to open their Brooklyn arena in 2012 with Paul dribbling up the court and throwing it to Anthony on the wing or Brook Lopez inside. The Knicks, of course, have a similar dream only it’s Paul to Anthony on the wing or Amar’e Stoudemire inside.

Many want to dismiss the Nets and say none of this will happen, but anything is possible.

Few could have foreseen Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen going to Boston in 2007. Everyone expected Paul Pierce to be traded, and Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge to be fired. Now they have a shot at playing in the Finals for the third time in four years.

The Nets aren’t the Celtics. New Jersey has no one like Pierce, and Newark isn’t Boston or Manhattan. We get that. But it would be shortsighted to say the Nets aren’t getting anyone.

The Nets have assets and flexibility, the richest owner in the NBA and are moving into a new building in Brooklyn within two years.

That’s what it is, and because of that you can’t immediately dismiss what could be for the Nets.

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Follow me on Twitter: @Al_Iannazzone

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Al Iannazzone covers the Nets for The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)