Are the Nets about to #TankForOkafor?
The Brooklyn Nets underwent some serious changes in the off-season, including a head coaching change–Lionel Hollins is currently in his 1st year as the coach of the team–and the loss of their starting small forward Paul Pierce, who is currently exceeding expectations on the Washington Wizards. While some thought the potent combo of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and a finally healthy Brook Lopez would have a positive effect on the Nets chances in an Eastern Conference that just saw the two-team hierarchy of the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers disintegrate during the off-season, things haven’t quite worked out that way. Following last night’s loss at home against LeBron and the Cavs, the Nets are just 8-11, 7 games behind the Raptors for 1st place in the Atlantic Division and tied for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Deron Williams is averaging well below his career average of 8.7 assists per game, while not averaging any more points than usual–17.1. Brook Lopez, in what will be his first full season since the 2010-2011 regular season, isn’t yet scoring at the rate that earned him a spot on last year’s Eastern Conference All-Star team, and Joe Johnson has been playing fairly well, but isn’t necessarily showing out. So, today, an ESPN report reveals that the Nets have just made the three aforementioned players available for a trade. It appears that 20 games in, the Nets front office has already seen what it needs to see.
League sources told ESPN.com that the Nets, off to a disappointing 8-11 start and looking to retool after last season’s $190 million roster filled with veterans couldn’t advance beyond the second round of the playoffs, have let it be known that they are prepared to move any of those franchise cornerstones in what would likely be separate deals if they came to fruition because of the high salaries each possess.
Yikes. Where do you see any of these high-profile players landing?
