Getty Nicolas Claxton, Joe Harris, and Blake Griffin chat during a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets.
After a lackluster start to their season, the Brooklyn Nets seem to finally be putting all of the pieces together. Following a blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday the Nets finished off a 7-game road trip with a 6-1 record. They now have an overall record of 10-4 and sit in the 3rd spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Brooklyn has experienced their share of turmoil over the past few months and out of the gate had some fans worried, but now look in great shape to be one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.
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Nets Move Blake Griffin & Paul Millsap in Trade Proposal
The Nets sitting amongst the league leaders in the playoff standings is an accomplishment in itself. But an even bigger accomplishment is that they have done so without the contributions of several players they thought they would rely on heavily at the start of the season. Two of those major pieces are their reserve big men Paul Millsap and Blake Griffin who have struggled mightily in the team’s first 14 games. It is for that reason that Zach Buckley of “Bleacher Report” has the Nets trading Millsap and Griffin to the Thunder in his latest trade proposal.
“It’s fun to see LaMarcus Aldridge hooping again after what he went through last season. However, it’s unsettling to see how much better he has been than the rest of Brooklyn’s bigs.
Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap look like they aged in dog years this offseason. Nicolas Claxton was up and down before an illness forced him off the floor. James Johnson should be kept behind emergency glass. Rookie Day’Ron Sharpe is too raw to contribute,” Buckley writes per “Bleacher report.”
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Nets Land Thunder Sharpshooter as Part of the Trade
If Steve Nash has shown us anything in his first two seasons as Nets head coach it is that he will try as many lineups as possible to make things work. Trading Griffin and Millsap would mean landing a sharpshooter in Thunder big man Mike Muscala which would also mean more open shots for everybody on the team. On the season Muscala is shooting 47.3% from the field and 41.7% from three.
“The Nets need to address their frontcourt between now and the deadline,” Buckley continues. “Their dream get might be Derrick Favors, who they once drafted third overall in 2010, but his $9.7 million salary doesn’t fit the budget. Brooklyn could instead target his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Mike Muscala, whose rebounding and outside shooting would be helpful to have.”
Millsap & Griffin Have Both Struggled
In fairness to Griffin, he has improved as the season has matured. He had his best game of the season against the Toronto Raptors on the Nets road trip where he had a double-double with a season-high 14 points and 11 rebounds. Griffin is also 2nd in the NBA in charges drawn per game so he holds value on defense as well. Even though he has shown improvement, the Nets are in win-now mode, and championship windows don’t stay open for very long.
As for Millsap, he has been virtually nonexistent in the Nets rotation so far this season. He has struggled to see the floor as he plays just 10.7 minutes per game and is averaging 3.0 points per game on 37.5% shooting from the field and 25% shooting from beyond the arc.
While it is strictly hypothetical this may be a trade the Nets should at least consider as they would almost immediately improve on offense.
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