The Brooklyn Nets sorely missed sharpshooting veteran Joe Harris in the playoffs as they didn’t have as much three point shooting to rely on as they would normally have.
With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving being hounded each time they touched the ball, they needed other players to step up, but it was much easier said than done.
Both New York teams have important offseasons ahead of them, but the Nets have a bit more urgency as they try to capitalize on the championship windows of their two stars.
Ben Simmons will be back and ready to go for the Nets next season, so the makings of a new Big 3 are there. One thing that worked against Brooklyn all year was health, and if they are able to stay healthy they could make a championship run.
The New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro floated a trade that could potentially work out for both sides and it’s flipping Joe Harris for Evan Fournier. It might sound crazy, but it might be something that works for both sides.
Harris for Fournier
GettyFournier could help the Nets.
On paper it might look like Harris and Fournier do a lot of the same things, and that would be because it’s true. Fournier holds the Knicks record for most threes made in a season, but setting that record didn’t help them get into the playoffs, so he might be an expendable piece.
With his streakiness being a problem, he can’t exactly be relied on as a top option like he is with the Knicks at the moment, but he could find a good home with the Nets. Vaccaro argues that since the salaries are a near match, it could be something the two sides consider.
“Joe Harris was missed this year, but with Seth Curry a Nets fixture now, Harris’ value is redundant,” he wrote. “And what Evan Fournier does well is probably better served on the Nets than the Knicks, where an off-night won’t be cataclysmic and his ability to move without the ball will be rewarded. Their salaries are an almost exact wash.”
For the Knicks, they’d essentially shave a year off their Fournier contract by getting Harris and they’d get somebody who can knock down threes with ease. While it won’t do much to improve the team into next year, it would give them more flexibility going forward.
It Could Happen
GettyKevin Durant #7 and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets are going to have to find some pieces to fill out the rest of their roster outside of their Big 3, and it’s going to be tough to do that considering how much money is tied up with Irving, Simmons and Durant. Trading some of the high salary players like Harris could help, but they’ll also need to make strategic signings.
Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Drummond all seem unlikely to return, so they’ll need to find a way to get some size. Simmons can help out in that area, but they’ll want to find some more traditional big men as well.
Having more shooting from Fournier would be nice, but that’s something they’ll have next year anyways with the return of Harris to the lineup.
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Proposed Nets-Knicks Trade Swaps Veteran Sharpshooters