NBA Free Agency 2017: One trade every team should make
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are the NBA’s doormat, averaging 26 wins over the past three seasons, thanks in large part to one incredibly short-sighted trade. Their roster is mostly a concert of ninth-men, devoid of any high-upside players. However, they’re only mired in their deal with the devil for one more year and own all of their first-round picks starting in 2019. The light at the end of the tunnel grows closer.
Sean Marks already began undoing the damage of the previous regime, making shrewd deals to gain draft compensation where he could. The trade he just swung with the Lakers is the exact types of moves he should be making — using excess cap room to absorb contracts and gain talent that other GM’s are looking to move on from. D’Angelo Russell has the chance to be special, something you can’t say about anyone else on the Brooklyn roster.
The afterglow of Linsanity will be forever radiant in the New York metro area. However, with the Nets’ current state, Jeremy Lin would be best served on a team where he can make a bigger impact. Leading up to the 2015 Draft, Mario Hezonja was a fiery, super-confident swingman from Croatia, who drew comparisons from J.R. Smith to Kobe Bryant. After two seasons in the league, Hezonja looks like an abject bust. Still, he’s only 22 and maybe a change of scenery would do him well.
If I’m a Nets fan, the prospect of Russell and Hezonja’s combined upside is something to get excited about.