Although the Nets internally view Jimmy Butler as a top-10 or top-15 player in the NBA, the team resolved not to give up any of its prime assets for him once he became available, writes Michael Scotto of The Athletic. When Brooklyn briefly discussed the possibility of acquiring Butler in a trade, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, and the team’s first-round pick were off-limits.
As Scotto details, general manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson have talked throughout their tenures about not “skipping steps” in the Nets’ rebuilding process. Sacrificing one or two of the club’s top young players or draft picks would have meant going for a quick fix, with no assurances that Butler would have stuck around beyond 2019.
Here’s more out of Brooklyn:
- The Nets did kick the tires on Butler before the Timberwolves sent him to Philadelphia, having discussed a deal involving D’Angelo Russell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and salary filler, league sources tell Scotto. However, those talks didn’t gain any traction.
- Scotto identifies Nikola Mirotic and Tobias Harris as two veteran forwards who may receive interest from the Nets during the summer of 2019. Brooklyn has long coveted a reliable stretch four, and Mirotic and Harris, who will both be unrestricted free agents next year, are capable of playing that role.
- As he approaches restricted free agency, D’Angelo Russell is showing a little more consistency, particularly on the defensive end, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “His maturity, his consistency, that’s what we’re starting to see,” Kenny Atkinson said. “That’s the challenge for him. It’s not on-again, off-again. We need more on from him, and I think he’s starting to get over that hurdle. He looked really good physically, too, against Denver (on Friday). He really got after it.”
Trade Russell to Phoenix for Josh Jackson. Jackson would flourish as a point forward for the Nets alongside Levert and Spence.
Point forwards who can’t shoot are overrated
Starting to look like Taylor said make a trade and Philly was the only concrete offer.
Not the only… just the best one! That’s why is the one they chose obviously.
I wouldn’t say Caris LeVert is an untouchable… esp not if you think you could lock-up a Top-20 player in his prime for 6 years (this + 5 more). Right now, I view LeVert as a result of circumstance, the Nets are in rebuild mode. Several guys looked good during the Sixers rebuild years that were only average players. It’s like Kevin Martin, Monta Ellis, MCW, Tony Wroten, Ish Smith, Andrea Bargnani, stats being inflated while on trash teams. Some of these guys were actually not bad, but the Nets don’t have much to play for or any veterans playing significant minutes (Dudley only 24/mpg). If their plan was to tank, which they currently are not, then I understand not trading for Butler. They should actually be tanking this time, they tanked every year they had no pick, why not tank this year?
I wouldn’t call what the nets did the last 5 years as tanking they just sucked. This year was supposed to be their year of reckoning and make the playoffs.
The Net’s only untouchable should be Josh Allen. They messed up, like most of the rest of the NBA.