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Nets Notes: Allen, Russell, Trades

January 22nd, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

There aren’t many “untouchables” in the NBA when it comes to trade talks, though most teams have a few players that it would take a king’s ransom to part with. Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, and D’Angelo Russell have earned their place in the Nets‘ long-term outlook and barring an overwhelming return, Michael Scotto of The Athletic doesn’t envision any of the three going anywhere anytime soon.

Before the season, Russell’s inclusion on the list may have seemed silly, but the former No. 2 overall pick is having his best season as a pro and he’s become a key part of the team’s success.

“Everything that we do offensively, he is sort of the lifeblood of us,” Joe Harris said after a recent Nets win. “Everything flows through him. He does a really good job of dictating the pace, getting guys in rhythm, and just doing a really good job on every level. He does a really good job facilitating for others and for himself. Obviously, we’re really lucky to have a player of his caliber on our team.”

Russell will be a restricted free agent after the season. GM Sean Marks has a history of going after other team’s RFAs and this offseason, he’ll likely get a taste of his own medicine with rival teams looking at Russell.

Scotto offers more in his piece for The Athletic. Here are the highlights:

Ed Davis, who signed a one-year deal last summer, hopes to remain with the Nets long-term, as he tells Scotto. “I’m at a point in my career where I don’t want to keep bouncing around,” Davis said. “This is my fifth team. I’ve got a wife and kids. They like it here. It’s close to home, so hopefully, when the season is over, we can figure something out and make something work.
The Nets love Allen’s ability to pick up schemes quickly and his coachability, Scotto adds in the same piece. Allen has made highlight reels with his ability to make monstrous blocks but he’s actively working on his offense, including a corner 3-point shot.
Harris and Rodions Kurucs are unlikely to be traded but if either player was put on the trade block, the Nets would likely garner a first-round pick in return, Scotto speculates. The scribe adds that if there were a re-draft of this year’s rookie class, Kurucs, who was selected with the No. 40 overall pick, would be a first-rounder.

Nets Notes: Russell, Dinwiddie, Durant, LeVert

January 19th, 2019 at 7:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets started winning when D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie figured out how to work together, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn’s point guards had an uneasy relationship early in the season, which left coach Kenny Atkinson reluctant to put them on the court at the same time. But with them working in tandem, the Nets have the league’s best record since December 7 at 16-5.

“Now they’re accepting their roles,” DeMarre Carroll said. “Those two are the head of the snake; they’re going to take us as far as we go. They finally realized that and understand they’re not in competition with each other anymore. They can do it collectively. One guy can have one night, and the other guy can have the other night. Or they can do it both together. But that’s maturity. They’re finally growing up, and you can see them maturing on and off the court.”

There may have been a financial component to their competitiveness. Russell is headed toward restricted free agency this summer after not getting an extension in the fall, while Dinwiddie signed a three-year, $34MM extension last month.

There’s more news from Brooklyn:

Dinwiddie plans to appeal to Kevin Durant to join the Nets in free agency this summer, relays Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Brooklyn will have enough cap space to offer Durant a maximum contract and could get close to two max offers by trading Allen Crabbe for an expiring deal and renouncing the rights to Russell.
Caris LeVert had a promising workout yesterday, but team officials are refusing to comment on when he might return, Lewis relays in another story. LeVert hasn’t played since suffering a dislocation in his right foot on November 12. “I’m not going to speculate,” Atkinson said. “I don’t want to give you something and be wrong. That’s the last thing I want to do. No specific update. [He’s] progressing. I know he had another great workout [Friday]. That’s as far as my medical background goes, but progressing nicely.”
Kenneth Faried was waived this morning after agreeing to a buyout, just three weeks after Atkinson complimented him on the way he has handled minimal playing time. “He’s been fantastic,” Atkinson said at the time. “It’s weird, some guys, they check out. He hasn’t.” Acquired from Denver in an offseason trade, Faried appeared in just 12 games for the Nets, averaging 9.8 minutes per night.

Nets Sorely Missing Caris LeVert

December 5th, 2018 at 9:37pm CST by clarkcrum

After Nets swingman Caris LeVert went down with a gruesome leg injury a little less than a month ago, the team feared the worst, with several of LeVert’s teammates seen visibly crying after the injury occurred.

Fear turned to relief, however, when tests revealed a subtalar dislocation of the right foot, no broken bones, and a prognosis of a possible return to the court this season.

Since the injury, however, the Nets are 2-11 and have lost eight straight after blowing another big lead against the Thunder tonight. Before the injury, the Nets were off to their best start since the 2014-2015 season with a 6-7 record. So not surprisingly, the relief that Brooklyn felt after LeVert’s diagnosis is starting to wane, writes Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily.

“I just think Caris gives us a different dimension, especially against the switching teams,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Teams were much more hesitant to switch against us because he’d just blow by the big that was guarding him. It’s a dimension we don’t have (now).”

In other words, LeVert made players better on both ends of the floor, with veteran Jared Dudley even going as far as to publicly call LeVert the Nets’ best player earlier this week. “We lost our best player and have lost three to five games by like two to six points, Dudley tweeted. “(We) could easily be (a) .500 basketball team.”

There is still no timetable for LeVert’s return, but the Nets still presumably hope to have him back on the court before the end of the 2018/19 season.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Butler, Nets

December 2nd, 2018 at 4:52pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos

The Raptors have been the best team in the NBA so far this season, in no small part due to the offseason additions of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, one of the key qualities that both veterans bring to the table is their play down the stretch of a close game, as evident in the duel against Kevin Durant and the Warriors last week.

As Bontemps points out, both Green and Leonard have been on the floor for the most intense moments of the NBA Finals and both players are battle-tested as they look to lead the Raptors to the promised land this season.

The Raptors still have to iron out some late-game kinks in order to close out tough games (especially come playoff time), but at least this season they will have two players that can thrive in such moments on the floor. There aren’t many other teams that can claim that, especially in the Eastern Conference.

There’s more from the Atlantic division:

Since joining the 76ers, Jimmy Butler is averaging the fewest minutes per game since his sophomore season and the fewest shot attempts since his third year in the league. However, as Keith Pompey points out for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Butler is focused on winning and leading the 76ers, especially in crunch time moments, which he has done several times this season.
After an injury derailed Caris LeVert‘s promising season, the Nets have struggled to bounce back as they have lost six straight games in a variety of ways. Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes about the team’s struggles since losing their leading guard.
Given those aforementioned struggles for the Nets and the fact that they actually own their first round draft pick this year, could it possibly be time for the team to tank? At least one writer from NetsDaily isn’t afraid to ask the tough question.

Nets Notes: Porter Jr., LeVert, Crabbe

November 19th, 2018 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

This may be a good time for the Nets to make another attempt to acquire Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr., Brian Lewis of the New York Post opines. Porter signed a four-year, $106.5MM offer sheet with Brooklyn during the summer of 2017 but Washington matched it.

The Wizards have made Porter, who has disappointed since getting the big contract, available in trade talks, but there is reportedly little interest. Washington is on pace for a $14.6MM luxury-tax payment, in part due to that offer sheet, as Lewis notes, and could use some relief.

Brooklyn still needs a stretch four, a void that Porter could fill, though Porter’s contract also includes a 15% trade kicker. Presumably, the Nets could send Allen Crabbe or DeMarre Carroll and another player to Washington in order to make the salaries sufficiently match up, Lewis adds.

We have more on the Nets:

There’s no timetable on Caris LeVert‘s return to the court but he’s relieved his injury wasn’t as bad as initially feared, according to NetsDaily.com. LeVert suffered a foot dislocation against the Timberwolves a week ago but is expected to return sometime this season. “I remember that night, when I got to the hospital, I didn’t get any sleep because I was just thinking the whole time, hoping it wasn’t as bad as it looked and how it felt,” he said. “But obviously I’m very blessed because it could have been a lot worse.”
Crabbe is finally showing signs of breaking out of his offensive funk, Lewis writes in a separate story. Crabbe is averaging just 7.0 PPG on 27.3% shooting but had a 15-point outing on Saturday. Crabbe is the team’s highest-paid player at $18.5MM and holds a player option at the same amount for next season. “The coaching staff tells me to keep shooting,” he said. “Nobody’s telling me to stop, so we’ve just got to keep at it ’til it clicks. Hopefully, it’s the first game in the right direction.”
Clippers forward Tobias Harris would be a sensible free agent target for the Nets. Read more about it here.

Caris LeVert Dislocates Foot, Expected To Return This Season

November 13th, 2018 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Nets swingman Caris LeVert, who underwent tests on Tuesday after leaving Monday’s game with a gruesome leg injury, has been diagnosed with a subtalar dislocation of the right foot, the team announced today in a press release. It’s good news for LeVert, who didn’t break any bones and hasn’t been ruled out for the entire 2018/19 season.

“Fortunately, tests performed this morning revealed that there are no fractures and only moderate ligament damage,” Nets orthopedist Dr. Martin O’Malley said in a statement. “While the optics of this injury may have appeared to be more severe, surgery will not be required. Caris will begin a period of rehabilitation with the Nets’ performance staff, following which he is expected to return to full strength and resume all basketball activities without any limitations this season.”

LeVert, who has dealt with foot injuries in the past, appeared to be in the midst of a breakout season until Monday’s injury. In 14 games, he had averaged 18.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 3.7 APG, putting him in position to receive early consideration for this season’s Most Improved Player award.

LeVert almost certainly won’t be in the running for that honor anymore, since his latest foot injury will sideline him for a good chunk of the season. However, the fact that the Nets expect him to return to the court by the spring is great news, considering the injury initially looked like a sure bet to end his season. The 24-year-old remains a long-term building block for the franchise, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe details in an excellent piece today.

LeVert’s injury could open up the door for players like D’Angelo Russell, Allen Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to pick up some extra minutes, depending on how the Nets structure their lineups in his absence.

Caris LeVert Stretchred Off Court With Apparent Right Leg Injury

November 12th, 2018 at 8:18pm CST by marksuleymanov

Nets forward Caris LeVert was stretchered off the court at Target Center with an apparent right leg injury and taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minnesota, YES Network’s Michael Grady reports.

“Caris LeVert sustained a right leg injury during the second quarter of tonight’s game at Minnesota,” the Nets said in an update. “LeVert is being taken to a local Minneapolis hospital where he will undergo a full evaluation. Further updates will be issued as available.”

Just seconds before halftime, LeVert went for a block and landed awkwardly on his right ankle. Several Nets players were visibly crying while Timberwolves players huddled together in prayer for the Brooklyn swingman. LeVert posted 10 points, five rebounds and four assists before the injury.

The injury looked similar to the gruesome left leg injury Celtics’ forward Gordon Hayward suffered last October. Just minutes into Boston’s season opener, Hayward landed awkwardly on his left leg and suffered a dislocated and fractured left tibia. Hayward underwent surgery and missed the entire 2017/18 NBA season.

LeVert, 24, has developed into a potent two-way threat for Brooklyn this season. In 14 games this season, the Michigan product has averaged 18.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 3.7 APG for the Nets while shooting 47.3% from the floor. The first-round pick (20th overall) from the 2016 NBA draft has developed into a key piece of the Nets’ future.

LeVert does have a history of foot injuries. He suffered a stress fracture in his left foot during his stint at the University of Michigan in May 2014. LeVert re-injured the same foot in January 2015 and missed the remainder of that collegiate season. He had been expected to be a top pick in the 2015 NBA draft.

The 6’7″, 200-pound forward once again suffered a left leg injury in his final season at Michigan, missing parts of three months and eventually undergoing his third surgical procedure in 22 months. The string of left leg injuries dropped LeVert’s draft stock, but he did end up being selected in the first round by the Pacers and being sent to the Nets in a trade for Thaddeus Young.

Nets Rumors: Butler, LeVert, Allen, Russell, RHJ

November 12th, 2018 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

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.”

Atlantic Notes: LeVert, Valanciunas, Nets Prospects, Redick

October 22nd, 2018 at 8:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Caris LeVert‘s impressive early-season performances could make the Nets a more attractive free agent destination, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer points out. The Nets guard, who is averaging 24.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 4.0 APG, is a versatile talent who can mesh with anyone because of his passing, cutting and spot-up shooting, O’Connor continues. Brooklyn’s front office looks smart for taking LeVert off the table in trade discussions with the Timberwolves for Jimmy Butler, O’Connor adds.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

There hasn’t been any grumbling from Raptors players who have seen their minutes reduced, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports. Jonas Valanciunas, Norman Powell and Pascal Siakam, among others, will see their playing time fluctuate depending on the opponent. “We are sharing the minutes. We don’t know what matchups are going to come to us,” Valanciunas told Wolstat. “We have versatility. Just have different things for different matchups. We have different lineups, different people going at some different players.”
Nets draft-and-stash prospects Aleksandar Vezenkov and Isaia Cordinier are off to good start overseas, according to a NetsDaily.com post. Vezenkov, a 6’9” forward has played three Euroleague games for Olympiacos and is averaging 9.7 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 17.0 MPG. Cordinier, a 6’5” shooting guard who plays in the French League, returned to action on Friday after missing last season with knee tendinitis. It’s uncertain whether they’ll pursue NBA careers next season. Another draft-and-stash player, Juan Pablo Vaulet, was sent home by his Argentine team for undisclosed reasons.
Sixers guard J.J. Redick believes the Magic made a smart move by trading him to the Bucks five years ago, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports. Redick was heading into unrestricted free agency at the time but would have liked to finish out that season with Orlando. He would have considered a long-term deal with the Magic that summer. Orlando acquired forward Tobias Harris and two other players in the deal. “The trade for Tobias was definitely in Orlando’s favor,” Redick told Robbins. “You get a guy who’s going to get you 18 [points] and 8 [rebounds] at 22, or whatever age Tobias was at the time. … Things obviously didn’t turn out great for them subsequently, but I think they made the right call.”

New York Notes: LeVert, Porzingis, Dinwiddie, Fizdale

October 20th, 2018 at 7:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Caris LeVert wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the Nets’ rotation heading into training camp, notes Michael Scotto of The Athletic, but through two games he looks like the early favorite for Most Improved Player. LeVert torched the Knicks for a career-high 28 points Friday night, including the game-winning shot. That followed a 27-point outburst against the Pistons in the season opener.

A month ago, LeVert was part of a large group in Brooklyn battling for playing time. He was competing with DeMarre Carroll, Joe Harris and Allen Crabbe at the wings and D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Shabazz Napier in the backcourt. LeVert’s transformation may be shocking to outsiders, but teammate Jarrett Allen said it has been building for a while.

“We saw it during the summer,” he said. “We knew it was coming, but coming out and playing like this not even we expected him scoring almost 30 points every night, but he’s coming out and showing all the work he’s done this summer is paying off.”

There’s more from New York City:

The rivalry between the Knicks and Nets may be more intense next summer than it is during the season, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Both teams should be in the running for lottery picks and both will have plenty of cap room to make a splash on the free agent market. Berman suggests that Brooklyn, which may be in position to offer two max contracts, could really heat things up by pursuing Kristaps Porzingis, who will be a restricted free agent after the deadline for an extension passed without a deal. The Nets can offer him a chance to play alongside fellow Latvian Rodions Kurucs.
If the Knicks can’t get a star to take a max offer, they could spend some of their money on Dinwiddie, Berman adds in the same piece. He notes that New York tried to work out a deal for the Nets guard in February, but decided the price was too high and opted for Emmanuel Mudiay instead.
David Fizdale’s relaxed exchanges with the media are a sign that a transformation has taken place among Knicks management, contends Harvey Araton of The New York Times. Owner James Dolan has produced a smothering environment among previous coaches, but Fizdale feels free to be open and honest in his assessment of players.