After a photo showing Jared Sullinger wearing Nets gear surfaced on social media, agent David Falk informed Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News that his client is “exploring the opportunity” of signing with Brooklyn. Per NetsDaily (Twitter link), Sullinger was in Brooklyn for a workout with the Nets.
Sullinger, a first-round pick in 2012, was a solid rebounder and scorer for the Celtics during his first four NBA seasons, averaging 11.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG over the course of his time in Boston. However, after he signed with the Raptors for the 2016/17 campaign, his season was derailed by injuries — the big man appeared in just 11 games for Toronto and was ineffective in limited minutes.
If Sullinger is healthy and his weigh isn’t an issue, he’d be an intriguing addition to the Nets’ frontcourt. The five-year veteran is still just 25 years old, and Brooklyn could use some help up front after trading away Brook Lopez, Andrew Nicholson, and Justin Hamilton in various deals this summer. The club acquired Timofey Mozgov and drafted Jarrett Allen, but adding some depth behind Trevor Booker at power forward would make sense.
Currently, the Nets have 18 players under contract, but two of those players are on two-way contracts and three others have non-guaranteed deals. That leaves two potential spots available on the club’s 15-man roster — Spencer Dinwiddie is a good bet to grab one of those spots, but the other remains open for someone like Sullinger.
I thought he was heading to China this season.