Nets could trade into lottery after all

Nets could trade into lottery after all

The Nets and Timberwolves are in serious talks to swap Nets guard MarShon Brooks for the 26th pick in the draft, according to Chad Ford’s latest ESPN Mock Draft, and the speculation doesn’t stop there.

Ford adds that the Nets are one of a few teams interested in 19-year-old Russian forward Sergey Karasev, currently projected to go to Dallas at 13. Dallas is “leaning heavily” toward trading the pick, and should the Nets acquire the 26th pick, they could conceivably package the two picks to Dallas for the 13th pick, giving them the ability to acquire Karasev.

Ford currently has the Nets taking Gonzaga center Kelly Olynyk with the 22nd pick, and Gorgui Dieng going to the Timberwoles at 26th.

The 6’7″ Karasev, a lefty, was a top scorer on an international team as a 19-year-old, a rarity at the professional level. He averaged 16.1 points in 32.2 minutes per game in an admittedly puny sample of 11 games with Triumph Moscow, shooting 44.2% from the field and 49% from deep. Combining his stats from EuroCup, VTB, and Russian Leagues, Karasev averaeged 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 30 minutes per game, but shot just under 40% from the field and 36.7% from deep.

Mike Schmitz, who is terrific, put together a breakdown of Karasev’s play for DraftExpress. Watch below.



ESPN.com — 2013 NBA Mock Draft 6.0