Brooklyn Nets to rest players vs. Bulls Wednesday night
The Brooklyn Nets have nothing at stake Wednesday night, but they’re clearing a path for the Chicago Bulls to make the playoffs.
At 20-61 with one game to go, the Brooklyn Nets are going to finish with the worst record in the NBA this year. That won’t be to their benefit though, with the Boston Celtics holding the rights to their first round pick. But the Nets may have an impact on how the Eastern Conference playoffs take shape.
The Nets will travel to take on the Chicago Bulls, who can clinch a playoff berth with a win in the regular season finale Wednesday night. Resting healthy players, or those with nagging injuries to get over, is usually reserved for teams with playoff aspirations. But the Nets didn’t get that memo, and they released their plan for Wednesday night’s game over 24 hours in advance.
Injury Report for tom. at Chicago: Booker (rest), Lin (rest), Lopez (rest), Acy (ankle), Harris (shoulder) & Kilpatrick (hamstring) are out.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) April 11, 2017
Forwards Quincy Acy, guard Sean Kilpatrick and guard Joe Harris will sit out against the Bulls with injuries, while center Brook Lopez, forward Trevor Booker and guard Jeremy Lin are getting rest. Lin did miss time this season with hamstring and ankle issues, playing just 36 games, but Booker and Lopez are by all accounts healthy. Lopez’ history of foot issues is worth noting heading into a meaningless game, but he has now played at least 72 games in three straight seasons.
The Indiana Pacers can also clinch a playoff spot with a win Wednesday night, over the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks. A loss for either the Bulls or Pacers would open the door for the Miami Heat, who can then get in with a win over the Washington Wizards.
According to Nets Daily, via the terms of trade last year, the Pacers’ second-round pick in June would wind up going to the Nets if it falls between No. 31 and No. 44 overall. Indiana missing the playoffs would help that scenario. But Albert Nahmad of Heat Hoops.com suggests it’s unlikely, if not impossible.
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The second-round pick the Pacers would owe the Nets can defer to future years, and thus possibly become more valuable. That could be the Nets’ motivation to essentially tank their season finale, to do their part to guarantee the deferral of that pick, but a public announcement declaring it probably wasn’t required.