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The Brooklyn Nets had a roller-coaster season in 2021. It started with Kyrie Irving refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, continued with a bombshell trade that shipped James Harden to Philadelphia and landed Ben Simmons in Brooklyn, and culminated with a first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics. That drama only heightened in the offseason with the free agency departures of Andre Drummond, who signed with the Chicago Bulls and Bruce Brown, who inked a deal with the Denver Nuggets.
Amid all the calamity that has surfaced during the Nets offseason, they still have made key offseason moves by signing former Indiana Pacers standout TJ Warren and making a trade with the Utah Jazz to land Royce O’Neale. Now Nets general manager Sean Marks is being pushed to make another free agent signing as the offseason transitions to the start of training camp in September. That being none other than former Lakers big man and sixth man of the year Montrezl Harrell.
“In the right role (heat-check big off the bench), he can absolutely help someone, and the Brooklyn Nets are a team that could use a big. Of course, the remainder of their offseason will be clouded by whether or not they trade Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but if they can convince both to stay, Harrell would raise their offensive ceiling,” Andy Bailey writes per Bleacher Report.
“Brooklyn has two open roster spots, and the only real centers on the roster are Nicolas Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe. Using some or all of the taxpayer mid-level exception that the Nets have at their disposal ($6.5 million) on Harrell would make sense (again, assuming the stars remain).”
Harrell Could Provide Nets Offensive Spark
Losing Drummond and Brown was a major hit to the Nets not only because of what they provided offensively but also because they were two of the most tenacious rebounders on Brooklyn’s roster last season. With a career average of 6.1 rebounds per game, Harrell could be the missing piece to the Nets bench unit. Bailey Notes that he could provide a jolt for the Nets on offense as well.
“For his career, Harrell has averaged 21.6 points per 100 possessions, and among the 92 players since 1973-74 (as far back as per-possession data is tracked) who match or exceed that average, Harrell’s 62.0 field-goal percentage ranks first,” Bailey adds.
“That’s an absurd combination of volume and efficiency born of Harrell’s relentlessness and touch around the basket.”
Running It Back Could Be Best Option for Everyone
The Nets, amid all the drama they have faced are in a position to be title contenders when the ball goes up to start the 2022-23 season. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are still members of the Brooklyn Nets, and the Nets are not obligated to trade either player, regardless of their desires.
Brooklyn has also built a solid supporting cast around their two stars, with Joe Harris, Ben Simmons, and Seth Curry all expected to be fully recovered by the start of training camp after offseason surgery.
Even if it is the desire of Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving to be traded, the reality is that they will not have a better opportunity to win than they do in Brooklyn. Running it back may be the best option.
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