Ersan Ilyasova is off to a disconcerting start after re-signing with the Bucks for five years and $40MM this summer, having been benched amid declines in just about every statistical category. It would be reasonable to expect that the Nets, one of Ilyasova's suitors in the offseason, would feel thankful they're not the ones stuck with his contract, but according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, Brooklyn is still trying to acquire the 6'9" Turkish big man. Woelfel spoke about the Nets' renewed pursuit with Robert Haack Diamond of WSSP radio in Milwaukee, and NetsDaily provides the transcript.
Woelfel speculated that the Bucks might want to take back MarShon Brooks and Tyshawn Taylor as part of the deal, though there'd have to be more players going the Bucks' way to make the salaries match. Brooks "would love coming to Milwaukee," Woelfel said, suggesting that would still be the case even if Brooks hadn't seen his minutes cut drastically with the Nets this season.
The Nets turned their attention to Kris Humphries over the summer once Ilyasova was off the market, but Humphries, too, has been a disappointment and finds himself benched after signing a two-year, $12MM contract. He might be someone the Nets send the other way in a deal, though that's merely speculation as well. If Humphries were part of the deal, the Bucks would be the team that had to add players to the mix in order to make the salaries match.
Most players who signed a contract became eligible to be traded on Saturday, but Ilyasova is one of several players who can't be traded until January 15th. He's averaging 8.9 points per game, down from 13.0 last season, 5.5 rebounds per night, off from last year's 8.8 RPG clip, and he's shooting just 39.9% after hitting on 49.2% of his field goal attempts in 2011/12. Though he's only 25 years old, Diamond and Woelfel went over a few of the other names in the Bucks frontcourt, reasoning that Milwaukee might prefer to go with Larry Sanders, John Henson, Tobias Harris and Ekpe Udoh, all of whom are the same age or younger than Ilyasova.