Getty Seth Curry #30, Patty Mills #8, and Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets react during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden
After being swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, most fans expect big changes to come in the Brooklyn Nets organization. Despite having Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on their roster, Brooklyn still has yet to make it out of the second round of the postseason. The Nets have seven players scheduled to hit the free-agent market, which means there will be a lot of movement on the team’s roster for next season. One Eastern Conference general manager told Heavy’s Sean Deveney that Seth Curry is a player that could be traded to bring in some much-needed reinforcements.
“It will be interesting to see what they do with Curry because we know how he stretches the floor, but we also know in the playoffs teams are going to go right at him on the defensive end,” the GM said to Deveney.
“A lot of it depends on what happens with Joe Harris and how they think he will progress. They could wait and trade Curry during the season, that is the most likely outcome there.”
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Patty Mills and Joe Harris Could Be Packaged in Trade
Nets sharpshooter Patty Mills has a player option in his deal for this season where he can choose to opt in and return to the Nets or opt out and test the free-agent market. The East GM notes that if Mills decides to opt into his deal with the Nets, he can be packaged in a trade with Curry to fill the void they have at center.
“If Patty Mills opts in, they could be packaged together. It would be nice if they could bring back a real center, maybe a Jonas Valanciunas, though he was so good for New Orleans last year,” the general manager said to Deveney.
“So, you might have to include Day’Ron Sharpe to make that work. But if you can trade off some pieces and bring back a legit center so you can stop worrying about that position, that would be ideal.”
Center Position Still an Area of Weakness for the Nets
The center position has been an area of weakness for the Nets since they had to part ways with Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen. To add insult to injury, Allen, one of the league’s top rim protectors, became a first-time All-Star with the Cavs this season. Brooklyn has tried to plug and play a multitude of centers in head coach Steve Nash’s tenure. They signed veteran LaMarcus Aldridge, who returned to the floor this season after a brief retirement in 2021. But Aldridge ultimately fell out of Nash’s rotation, as did Blake Griffin who would often play center in the Nets’ small-ball lineups.
The most consistent big man in the Nets rotation has been 23-year-old center Nic Claxton, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. The Nets are expected to match any offers for Claxton, who is sure to gauge interest after the most impressive year of his young career. Per “Basketball Reference” , he averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and assists. The sky is the limit with Claxton, but if the Nets are serious about being title contenders now, they’ll need to sign a more seasoned big man, preferably at a discount.
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