Brooklyn Nets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Quickley, Harris, Randle, Free Agency

January 30th, 2021 at 11:21am CST by marksuleymanov

Immanuel Quickley has quickly emerged as a bright spot for the streaky Knicks, becoming a high-scoring option off the bench in his rookie campaign. He added to his impressive start with a 25-point performance against the Cavaliers on Friday, helping New York end a three-game losing streak.

After a recent 31-point showing in a loss to the Trail Blazers, Quickley was connected with Portland’s perennial MVP candidate Damian Lillard. As Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes, Lillard provided some advice and insight to Quickley in the midst of his standout introduction to the NBA.

“I took everything away, honestly, from the type of person he is first of all, the type of player he is, [the] competitor [he is],” Quickley said. “Then really just giving me advice on obviously the point guard position, but what it takes to win in this league, what it takes to help your team win, how to bounce back from good games, bad games, staying even-keeled throughout the whole season.

“It was good to just have someone like to be able to go to, someone that’s been through a lot, Western Conference finals, the MVP [race], things like that.”

Check out more news and notes from the Atlantic division:

After his impressive start to the 2020/21 season, Tobias Harris is earning himself serious All-Star consideration, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Of note, the Sixers forward has shown defensive improvements while averaging 20.1 PPG with career bests in field-goal percentage (52.5%) and three-point shooting (46.2%).
Given Julius Randle‘s monstrous performance to begin this season, it’s time to stop viewing the forward as an athletic underachiever and more as an All-Star keeping a streaky team within playoff contention, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Randle showed up in great shape and has since been the Knicks‘ key to the offense, as an improved scorer, passer and defender.
The Nets will have to fill one of their two open roster spots by Sunday and it’s likely the team looks outside the organization to fill it, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. “I guess it’s possible to sign one of our two-way guys,” Brooklyn head coach Steve Nash said. “But I think we’re probably looking to sign somebody on a free-agent deal here.”

Knicks Keeping Eye On Zach LaVine

January 29th, 2021 at 5:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks are closely monitoring Bulls guard Zach LaVine and the possibility of acquiring him via trade before the March 25 deadline, Ian Begley of SNY reports.

It’s uncertain whether Chicago is listening to offers on LaVine but the Knicks have some draft capital that may intrigue the Bulls, Begley notes. New York owns its future first-rounders and has 2021 and 2023 first-rounders coming from the Mavericks from the Kristaps Porzingis deal, though the latter of those picks has protections.

The Bulls would likely ask for another young star in any deal involving LaVine, Begley presumes.

An Immanuel Quickley-LaVine pairing could be the Knicks’ long-term solution in the backcourt, provided they re-signed him.

LaVine, 25, becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2022. He’s making $19.5MM this season and the same next season. He might seek max money, or close to it, in his next contract.

Prior to the season, the Bulls rebuffed overtures for LaVine. He’s once again posting big stats — 27.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 39.7% from 3 — but he’s also committing 4.3 turnovers a game. Moreover, LaVine’s efforts have not translated to wins. Chicago heads into the weekend with a 7-10 record.

The Nets also had interest in LaVine prior to acquiring James Harden, Begley adds.

Nets Notes: Durant, Harden, Pelle, G League

January 29th, 2021 at 9:04am CST by Arthur Hill

Atlantic Notes: Drummond, Edwards, Walker, Morey

January 27th, 2021 at 9:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets may be hoping for an Andre Drummond buyout in Cleveland to help solve their center woes, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn has been short-handed in the middle since parting with Jarrett Allen in the James Harden trade. Veteran DeAndre Jordan remains the starter, but depth at the position has become an issue as the Nets have fallen from 11th to 25th in defensive rating since the deal.

Allen and Drummond are part of a crowded frontcourt in Cleveland, along with JaVale McGee and Kevin Love, who have also been mentioned as potential targets for Brooklyn. The Nets parted with a significant amount of their draft capital in the Harden trade, so the buyout market would be ideal. Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer (video link) and Zach Harper of The Athletic both mentioned a possible Drummond buyout this week, with Harper suggesting it’s “just a matter of time.”

Lewis reports that Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks is expected to hold on to at least one of his two available exceptions so he can be aggressive when buyouts begins. Players can be waived as late as April 9 and still be eligible for the postseason with another team.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Celtics guard Carsen Edwards confirmed that the four games his missed earlier this month were because he tested positive for COVID-19, writes Tom Westerholm of Boston.com. “I don’t know what I’m allowed to talk about,” Edwards said. “But I mean, I did test positive, and I had symptoms for a couple of days. But then after that, I was kind of just — I lost my taste and my smell, and then after that, I was quarantined. The first two nights were rough, but after that I was just kind of in quarantine just trying to stay out the way and be healthy and get healthy. But I’m fine now. I feel better.”
The Celtics likely won’t use Kemba Walker in back-to-back games for the rest of the season, relays Conor Roche of Boston.com. Appearing on a radio show this morning, coach Brad Stevens discussed his plans for Walker, who has been on a minutes limit since returning. “We’ll keep his minutes down. I’m not going to play him in the mid-30s (minutes wise) at any point here in the near future,” Stevens said. “It’s all part of a plan that’s not only for the best interest of this team, but also in the best interest of his career here moving forward. As the season goes on and we get into late April, early May, before the playoffs, we’ll ramp him up a little bit.”
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is in quarantine for COVID-19 contact tracing unrelated to the team, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Green A Key Piece In Nets Front Court Since Harden Trade

January 26th, 2021 at 7:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Multi-faceted Nets forward Jeff Green has helped Brooklyn’s suddenly thinned-out frontcourt following the trade that brought in All-Star James Harden, according to Greg Joyce of The New York Post. “It helps when you get Kevin [Durant] and Kyrie [Irving] and James on your team,” Green said. “A lot of attention is going to be on those guys, so I want to do my part in being ready to shoot. It just comes with repetition, the work that I’m putting in to make sure I’m prepared for those times where they are swinging the ball my way and I’m able to shoot.” Green is averaging 12.1 PPG and 4.7 rebounds in 32.9 MPG since the deal.

Stoudemire Observes Shabbat With Franchise's Blessing

January 25th, 2021 at 8:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Amar’e Stoudemire will not be on the Nets’ bench for some of their weekend games due to religious reasons, as Marc Stein of the New York times explains (Twitter link). The former All-Star big man, who is now a player development coach under Steve Nash, has maintained his Orthodox observance of Shabbat, which precludes him from working from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown. Brooklyn’s management has given him that time off every week with its blessing, Stoudemire wrote on his Instagram page.

Nets Reportedly Have Interest In JaVale McGee

January 25th, 2021 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets, who are in the market for a veteran center after having traded Jarrett Allen to Cleveland, are said to be eyeing Cavaliers center JaVale McGee, according to a series of reports.

Sam Amico of FortyEightMinutes.com first tweeted that sources expected Brooklyn to pursue a trade for McGee, while Jason Dumas of KRON4 News said today (via Twitter) that the Nets are talking to Cleveland about a possible deal. Brian Lewis of The New York Post also indicated (via Twitter) that he has heard some chatter about the Nets and McGee.

The trade that sent Allen from the Nets to the Cavs left Brooklyn somewhat shorthanded at the five, while Cleveland now has an abundance of options in the middle. Besides DeAndre Jordan, the Nets’ potential fives – Nicolas Claxton, Reggie Perry, and soon-to-be-signed Norvel Pelle – are short on NBA experience. The Cavs, on the other hand, have nine-year veteran Andre Drummond starting at center, with Allen and McGee operating as backups.

As Dumas tweets, the Cavs don’t intend to flip Allen, but they could make Drummond, McGee, and/or power forward Kevin Love available before this season’s trade deadline. Dumas suggests Brooklyn has some interest in Love as well, but it’s hard to imagine how such a deal would work, given his $31MM+ salary and the makeup of the Nets’ roster.

McGee is a more realistic target for Brooklyn — his $4.2MM expiring contract could be absorbed using the Nets’ newly-granted disabled player exception if the team doesn’t want to send out any players to match his salary. The Nets still have multiple open roster spots, so making room on the 15-man squad wouldn’t be an issue either.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are expected to seek draft capital for any of the big men they move, per Dumas. Unless they’re willing to take on some unwanted salary, the Cavs probably shouldn’t expect more than a second-round pick for McGee or Drummond.

Atlantic Notes: Irving, Jersey Swaps, Sixers, Len

January 24th, 2021 at 12:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

It hasn’t been a smooth transition since the Nets formed their Big Three, but Kyrie Irving remains confident that the group will eventually work, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn is 3-2 since James Harden joined the team, including a pair of losses this week in Cleveland.

“Don’t trip. It’s a long journey,” Irving posted on Instagram. “We will be on that stage. The stage where the best of the best meet. … You know. The main stage. Where those who can, do. And those who cannot talk about those that are doing. If you rolling with us, great. Let’s rock. If you’re not, you know you wanna talk about our greatness anyway.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

As promised, the NBA is cracking down on post-game interactions between players to minimize COVID-19 risks, notes Liz Roscher of Yahoo. Irving and Miami’s Bam Adebayo were interrupted by a security guard Saturday night as they attempted to exchange jerseys. “I’ll give Kyrie the jersey on my own time,” Adebayo told reporters.
Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are committed to getting the most out of their partnership, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. They are interacting more off the court and trying to mesh their talents together on a Philadelphia team that has the East’s best record at 12-5. “We both see different things, so now for me and Jo, I think the relationship continues to grow,” Simmons said. “We talk a lot more now in terms of being on the floor and certain things we say. Knowing where he wants the ball, all the sets, and just flying, getting into the flow of the game, and just trying to read it the right way.”
After waiving Alex Len on Tuesday, the Raptors have a financial incentive to hope he stays with the Wizards, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. If Len remains on Washington’s roster past February 24, which is the last day to release players before their contracts become fully guaranteed, Toronto will receive a $126,029 offset on his $2.258M salary, which is still on the Raptors’ books.

New York Notes: McGee, Noel, Toppin, G League, Nets’ D

January 22nd, 2021 at 6:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets were granted on Friday a disabled player exception worth approximately $5.727MM due to Spencer Dinwiddie‘s season-ending injury. With that in mind, HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan takes a look at some of the frontcourt players Brooklyn could pursue in a trade that would fit the salary slot. JaVale McGee, Nerlens Noel, Ed Davis and Bismack Biyombo are among those options for the Nets, who could use another veteran in the middle.

We have more on the teams in New York City:

The Knicks had concerns about Tyrese Haliburton‘s slender build when they passed on the point guard in favor of Obi Toppin during the draft lottery, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Haliburton has made an immediate impact with the Kings, who selected him with the No. 12 pick. Toppin, the eighth overall selection, has played an average of 12 MPG the last four games after recovering from a calf injury.
The Knicks unveiled their G League roster for the Orlando “bubble” season, which is slated to begin next month. According to a team press release, forwards Louis King and Skal Labissiere and guards Myles Powell and James Young have been named affiliate players. Affiliate players remain free agents available for any of the 30 NBA teams to sign.
The Nets know they can’t rely on the offensive prowess of their Big Three to make the Finals, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. After giving up 147 points to the Cavaliers in a double-overtime loss, they must focus on defensive improvement. “We feel positive in that we can improve defensively; but it’s definitely got to be a priority,” coach Steve Nash said.

Nets Granted Disabled Player Exception

January 22nd, 2021 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have been granted a disabled player exception following the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Dinwiddie underwent ACL reconstruction surgery after suffering a partially torn ACL early in the season.

A cap exception designed to give teams extra flexibility when a player suffers a season-ending injury, the disabled player exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. The Nets’ new DPE has a value of $5,727,024 – half of Dinwiddie’s $11,454,048 salary for 2020/21 – so any player signed or acquired with the exception can’t be earning more than that amount (plus $100K).

The exception can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.

While the DPE doesn’t create an extra roster spot for a team, that’s not an issue for the Nets, who currently have three openings on their 15-man roster. Norvel Pelle will reportedly fill one of the three, but that still leaves two available.

Since the Nets also still have the full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.718MM) on hand, the DPE may end up being more useful on the trade market. Brooklyn will have until April 19 to use it.