After acquiring guard Marcus Thornton from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for guard Jason Terry and forward Reggie Evans, the Nets elected to make no further moves, standing pat at the trade deadline. Most notably, the team passed on a chance to absorb forward Jordan Hill from the Los Angeles Lakers into their Disabled Player Exception.
It’s not clear just where talks broke down between the Nets and Lakers, but chances are it came down to haggling over draft picks.
The Lakers wanted to trade Hill to inch closer to the luxury tax threshold (roughly $71.7 million), but sought out a second-rounder, something Brooklyn couldn’t offer until at least 2016.
The Nets likely thought that giving up a draft pick while shelling out $17 million in luxury tax commitments to allow the Lakers to shed salary was too pricey, and it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that they requested at least a draft pick in return. King has said previously that he wants to stockpile picks, after trading away nearly every first- and second-round pick the team has in the next five years.
The Nets officially have 13 players on their roster, giving them two open roster spots. They can still use their Disabled Player Exception until March 10th, allowing them to sign a free agent for up to $5.25 million. They would still incur any luxury tax penalties if they use it.
Thornton will join the team tomorrow before their game Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors.
