Getty Joe Harris #12 talks with Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Barclays Center
Is it time for the Brooklyn Nets to move on from the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era on Atlantic Avenue? In a recent column from NBA Insider, Ric Bucher shared a quote from an unnamed NBA scout that shared that the Nets should be highly motivated to move on from the albatross of the modern NBA and get value for Durant and whatever value they can get for Irving while they still can.
“The Nets should be highly motivated to move the albatross of the modern NBA and receive value,” the scout said, referring to Irving. “Otherwise, he walks this summer, and the Nets get nothing. The Nets need size, and they have urgency for this season. I think the Lakers are looking a year down the road.”
Other Potential Nets Trade Pieces
Irving and Durant aren’t the only players that the Nets could be looking to move on from this season. In his column, Bucher also noted an NBA source that told him that the Nets are looking to deal their sharpshooting guard and forward Joe Harris.
“Both the Lakers and Nets are among the top five teams in player payroll this season. Both are also subject to a hefty luxury tax for having repeatedly gone over the threshold the last few years. That’s why the Nets, league sources said, also hope to move long-range shooter Joe Harris, who is set to make $18 million this year and $19 million next season,” Bucher wrote.
Harris made his return from injury with the Nets this season, and 7.8 points while shooting a mere 34.8% from three point range. A number that is down from his career averages. As the cobwebs from injury continue to come off he may become a more attractive trade asset.
Joe Harris Trade Rumors Back in the Summer
The latest reporting from Bucher isn’t the first time that Joe Harris has been rumored to be dealt from the Nets. Earlier this summer, an NBA executive shared with Heavy NBA Insider Sean Deveney that he expects Brooklyn to look to deal either Joe Harris or Seth Curry by the All-Star Break of this season.
“One of them [Curry or Harris] will get dealt before the deadline, that would be my guess. Both are really good shooters, obviously, that is their skill. But both are bad defenders who will be targeted in the playoffs. Obviously, finding a new home for either guy has not been the priority for them this summer so, no, they have not really had talks about a deal for either guy, so far.
But I suspect they’ll want to come out and see how healthy Harris is, see if he is back to his old form, then they may start to figure out what they can get for him vs. what they can get for Curry. Harris has more value if he can show he is healthy — he is not as poor a defender as Curry. If they’re going to try to make a deep playoff run, Harris is more likely the one they’d keep,” the executive told Heavy.