Getty Sean Marks, Brooklyn Nets general manager
The Brooklyn Nets climbed from the bottom of the Eastern Conference a few weeks ago, now sitting in the 8th spot, but have a way to go before they can be considered a top contender. Though it is still a bit early, they have already begun to fiddle in the trade market. Per SNY’s Ian Begley, the Nets have inquired about Atlanta Hawks star John Collins.
“[The Nets] have indeed touched base with Atlanta about [John] Collins,” Begley said on ‘The Putback’ podcast on December 1. “Just interesting because that’s, I think the Nets are in search of some help along the front line. Collins can certainly help them. I’m not sure how far along those talks went. But they’ve certainly engaged recently, so something to keep an eye on there.”
Collins is in the second year of a 5-year/$125 million deal that expires in 2026.
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Collins Could Be Answer to Nets Rebounding Woes
Collins may not be an offensive juggernaut like Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant and doesn’t have the passing ability of Ben Simmons. But at 6’9 with a wingspan that stretches out to nearly seven feet, he can add a dynamic to the Nets that they have been missing for quite some time, rebounding.
Collins has averaged more than seven rebounds per game every season since he entered the league in 2018. For reference Brooklyn’s starting center, Nicolas Claxton has never averaged more than six rebounds per game for a full season in his career. It is an issue Nets head coach Jacque Vaughan knows the team needs to address.
“Yeah, that’s always gonna be a problem for us and we know it,” Vaughan said of Brooklyn’s rebounding woes after their win over the Washington Wizards on November 30.
“And before the game, we showed last time they played us, how they got offensive rebounds. We’ll continue to show our guys—it’s not only a mindset, but it’s the ability to have contact on those possessions. And sometimes you go up and you think, ‘Okay, I can get this thing.’ You might be better off just boxing out and let someone else get it. So, we can get those habits of just finding contact with every single play, it’ll help us.”
Simmons to Miss More Time With Injury
The Nets will be shorthanded for a significant stretch of this seven-game homestand as their starting forward, Ben Simmons has suffered another injury. The Nets star left the game in the second quarter during their matchup with the Orlando Magic on November 28 with knee complications, something he has been dealing with all season.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, the All-NBA forward suffered a muscle strain during that contest which will sideline him for a minimum of three games.
Nets star Ben Simmons has a muscle strain in his leg and is expected to miss a few games, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Simmons has battled through ailments the past few weeks, most recently soreness/swelling in knee, and was in the midst of his best play this season.
“Nets star Ben Simmons has a muscle strain in his leg and is expected to miss a few games,” Charania tweeted on November 30. “Simmons has battled through ailments the past few weeks, most recently soreness/swelling in knee, and was in the midst of his best play this season.”
With the Nets in the middle of a long homestand, it will be interesting to see if they can keep up the win streak without Simmons in the lineup.