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The Brooklyn Nets were busy on July 12, making two deals to retool their roster. They acquired center/power forward Kenneth Faried and power forward Darrell Arthur from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for point guard Isaiah Whitehead. In a separate deal, they offloaded point guard Jeremy Lin to the Atlanta Hawks for a future draft pick and rights to overseas prospect Isaia Cordinier. Both deals were reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Following the deals, let’s take a look at the Nets’ new-look roster.
Nets Roster & Starting Lineup With Kenneth Faried & Darrell Arthur
PG- Spencer Dinwiddie
SG – D’Angelo Russell, Caris LeVert
SF – Allen Crabbe, Joe Harris, Dzanan Musa
PF – DeMarre Carroll, Darrell Arthur, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
C – Jarrett Allen, Kenneth Faried, Ed Davis
As you can see, the pair of moves limited the Nets’ point guard depth. Although technically listed as a shooting guard, D’Angelo Russell has played point guard most of his career and will almost undoubtedly play a bunch of minutes at PG next season. Likewise, Faried could see minutes at both power forward and center.
Are More Moves on the Way?
The Nets made these trades primarily for the future. In the trade with Denver, the Nets acquired a 2019 protected first round pick and future second. Meanwhile, the Lin trade was primarily about getting off of his salary, but they also received a second round pick in the deal.
The Nets seem to be gearing up for the 2019 offseason. There’s some buzz that the Nets could be a destination for marquee 2019 free agents Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler. It’s been said that they want to play together on a team in the Eastern Conference, and the Nets could make that happen.
Additionally, it’s possible bigger moves could come sooner rather than later. According to The Athletic’s Michael Scotto, the Nets and Russell have not discussed a contract extension. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean Russell isn’t in the Nets’ plans going forward, but Russell is set to enter restricted free agency next offseason, so a contract extension now, when they can keep the price reasonable, makes sense.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Observer reporter Rick Bonnell wonders whether the Nets will go after Charlotte Hornets star point guard Kemba Walker with Denver’s first-round pick as bait. If the Nets do in fact try to acquire Walker, it’s safe to say that Russell would either be a part of that trade or not be in the Nets’ plans come 2019 free agency.