Getty DeMarcus Cousins #4 of the Denver Nuggets looks for a call from referees during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers
On December 12, a surprising playmaker was linked as a potential target for the Brooklyn Nets. Former top five draft pick Kris Dunn was included by Andy Bailey in a column for Bleacher Report as a potential free agent signing for Brooklyn. However, underneath the Dunn portion of the article were two familiar names that Nets fans have been clamoring for since this summer. Veteran big men DeMarcus Cousins and Hassan Whiteside were also mentioned as potential names that could land in Brooklyn to help this team in case of injury.
“Of course, Brooklyn may also be short a big man, too—even with the roster healthy. The answer could be as simple as Hassan Whiteside or DeMarcus Cousins (more on them later),” Bailey wrote for Bleacher Report.
Why the Nets Would Sign Cousins or Whiteside
Finding a reason why the Nets would sign Kris Dunn isn’t super clear. Bailey cited injury concerns and depth as a potential reasons it would be wise to add another playmaker.
“The problem is that good health hasn’t been the norm in Brooklyn.” Bailey wrote. “Kyrie’s availability has been dubious, at best, especially since he joined the Nets. Ben Simmons, who sat out all of 2021-22 with back and mental health concerns, has already missed 10 games with various ailments this season. Patty Mills is 34 years old.”
However, signing a center is a much clearer objective for Brooklyn. Currently, Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe are holding down the fort for Brooklyn, but as the season goes on, having a veteran could be a direction the Nets would look to. While Claxton has been impressive this year, one NBA executive shared with Heavy Sports questions on the sustainability of the Nets frontcourt.
“They’re small. The thing about being in the East is that you’re looking at Joel Embiid, and if you have to go up against him with Nic Claxton and Markieff Morris, that is not enough. I think they know that. They gave Claxton a new contract, but they’re not sold on him, so this year is a trial run. They can trade him if they feel they need to. He has value. But he’s the first option there. They can play small throughout the regular season, but you can’t pay Ben Simmons at center in the playoffs. Too many coaches will pick that apart in a series.
The thing is, they will have options. There are big guys out there you can plug in for 20 minutes and let them be physical, and there will probably be more at the trade deadline. Hassan Whiteside is out there. Derrick Favors now, he is out there. (DeMarcus) Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein — you can get a big body in there if you need to. But you probably won’t see them make a move until January on that,” the executive told Heavy.
Nets Could Trade Patty Mills
If Kris Dunn is a legitimate target for the Heat, the deal could become a reality if the team were to trade their veteran backup point guard Patty Mills. On a recent episode of Heavy Sports’ NBA Podcast’ ‘Postin’ Up,’ Insider Keith Smith predicted that Brooklyn could look to move the aging veteran ahead of the All-Star break.
“Now, they’ve done a better job with their three max guys in Durant, Irving, and Simmons of building out their roster around those three guys because they’ve kept Harris, They’ve got Curry, You’ve got Claxton, Um, you’ve got Royce O’Neale, They’ve built up a kind of stack of mid-range tradable contracts. I think the guy who’s most likely to get moved in any deal from them is Patty Mills, and he feels super redundant, especially if you feel like Kyrie is going to be there. He doesn’t really play. He’s not in the rotation now, wasn’t in the rotation. Even when Kyrie was out. They were going to Edmond Sumner and cam Thomas over him and bad about seven million dollars. That’s a decent chunk of matching salary. So I think if they’re gonna do anything the upgrade,” Smith said.