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We’ve hit All-Star intermission in the 2015-16 season, and things look bleak for the Nets. A disappointing 109-90 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies dropped them to 14-40 in the standings, with no chance of making the playoffs, little to develop long-term.
With the season going downhill and the trade deadline rapidly approaching, The Brooklyn Game went around the horn with a game of Keep/Trade/Walk for each member of the roster: should the Nets keep the player, trade him (either at the deadline or in the offseason), or let him walk at the end of this season?
Scroll through to find out what we think for each player.
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Jarrett Jack
Ryan Carbain: Go. If this were a team with young, budding stars, he’d be a hard stay. One of the league’s good guys. But we know Jack’s skillset, and it’s just not where the league is heading. The Nets can do better pursing a younger PG who can break down defenses and see the court a little bit better.
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Shane Larkin
WeMustBeNets: Stuck, try to trade, and pray he walks. With a player option for next year, chances are we’ll be seeing Larkin back in a Brooklyn uniform next year unless he plays very well in the second half and chooses to opt out. If that’s the case, then I would happily let him go. The Nets desperately need a franchise point guard and if it were up to me, I’d rather keep Donald Sloan around as the primary backup. Although he’s had some moments, his overall lack of size seems to hurt his ability on the defensive end. If the Nets are truly stuck with him, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world since he is only set to make 1.5M in his final year. I would just rather see him as the third point guard on the depth chart.
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Donald Sloan
Devin Kharpertian: Keep. Presuming Sloan won’t cost more than a minimum — and I can’t imagine he would — Sloan has filled in decently as a starting point guard in an impossible situation for him. He’s hardly a top-flight talent, but he’s a steady tick above replacement level and would be fine as a second- or third-string point guard. His value on the bench on that deal outstrips his value as a potential trade piece.
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Bojan Bogdanovic
Ben Nadeau: Trade. Bojan Bogdanovic will be 27 by season’s end and has taken a noticeable step back since his rookie season. Those 25-point outbursts and incredibly important contributions seem few and far between at this point. With Bogdanovic well into his basketballing career and the Nets looking to hit the reset button, it may be beneficial for both parties to part ways, especially if the Nets can anything of value in return. If not, Brooklyn could do far worse than Bogdanovic off the bench in a limited role moving forward.
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Wayne Ellington
WeMustBeNets: Stuck, try to trade, and pray he walks. As with Larkin, Robinson, and Bargnani, the Nets do not have the ability to cut their losses and move on from Ellington with him having a player option for next year. Labeled a sharpshooter seems laughable now, as he clearly hasn’t been an offensive upgrade over Alan Anderson. Watching him as a starter has been a pain and hell for Nets fans. Pain and hell + Wayne Ellington = Pain Hellington???
Luckily his salary is small ($1.5 million), so if the Nets are truly stuck with him for next year it won’t be catastrophic to their salary cap flexibility. If he returns, and he probably will, I would feel a lot better if he was moved further down on the bench. Perhaps the role he serves next year is comparable to what Sergey Karasev is providing this year.
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Markel Brown
Ben Nadeau: Keep. Markel Brown will be a restricted free agent in 2016 and, at this pace, will be a fringe NBA player at best. Last year, he filled the starting shooting guard role admirably after Lionel Hollins’ post All-Star Break shuffle, but found himself at the end of the bench again at this season’s onset. Brown has proven that his energy and man-to-man defense can be valuable, but at the price of late second round pick, the Nets may just swing for the fences again.
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Sergey Karasev
Ryan Carbain: Go. As much as I want to be patient with a lefty who purports to shoot and handle the ball, I don’t think he’s a NBA player. Watch him on defense: He winds up on the floor more than Delledova and it ain’t because of hustle.
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- Johnson (AP)
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- AP
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Chris McCullough
WeMustBeNets: Obvious keep. Unless he is being used in a package to acquire a transcendent star, then the Nets have to keep him. If they are truly committed to developing a young core, then it’s hard to imagine them not seeing what Hollis-Jefferson and McCullough can become at full strength and 82 games to work with. I will say I do have my expectations in check considering not all rookies become stars and he is coming off of a devastating knee injury.
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Thomas Robinson
Ryan Carbain: Stay, but put him on a tight leash. You can’t teach his speed or his leaping ability and he’s eager rebounder (maybe too eager considering the frequent over-the-back whistles). If he commits to the boards and defense, he’s a rotational piece. But if he continues to get tunnel vision on offense or in pursuit of a blocked shot, nail him to the end of the bench. P.S. More pick and rolls please.
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Thaddeus Young
Ben Nadeau: Trade. Yup, this is likely an unpopular opinion right now, but his value may never be higher. Although the Nets won’t know what they have in Chris McCullough for quite some time, the franchise will want to give him a heavy load in the coming seasons. With Hollis-Jefferson in tow as well, if the Nets can get some sort of first-rounder for the double-double machine, they shouldn’t hesitate. A few contenders could gladly use the services of Young on a team-friendly contract and if they end up swapping Kevin Garnett for a first-rounder in the long run, that would have to be considered a success.
WeMustBeNets Keep. Yes, he’s having a career year and his value will never be higher, but I think it makes sense to keep him. With the cap going up, his salary will represent a smaller percentage of that total number which will make him one of the better values out there. At the end of the day, you need to have some pieces in place and Thad is a solid, established veteran who can help the development of the younger players.
Additionally, if the Nets are to win the free agency lottery, a player like Thad is better suited to serve in a complementary role, unlike Brook. He’s not a player that needs the ball in his hands to be effective which would make him easier to coexist with any talent that can be Brooklyn bound. The same cannot be said for Lopez.
Ryan Carbain: Go. I loved every minute of Thad Young’s tenure here. His match of skill and hustle should endear him to any home crowd. But Thad is an asset and one who should considerably improve a winning team (without affecting chemistry). For a team hitting reset without draft picks until 2019, luxury assets need to be liquidated and that’s, unfortunately, what the team should do with a great guy who really embraced Brooklyn.
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Andrea Bargnani
Ben Nadeau: ??? Keep, trade, walk — what does it matter? With Andrea Bargnani comes suspect defense, rapid-fire mid-range jumpers, and enough punchlines to fill the Barclays Center. But, most of all, you know what he comes with? A Player Option for 2016. At this point, it’s unlikely that the Nets will want to keep him, but it’s no longer up to them — and who in their right minds would trade for him right now? For better for worse, 2015 was The Year of the Bargnani, unfortunately, 2016 might be as well.
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Willie Reed
Ryan Carbain: Hard stay. Big, athletic, and generally in the right place on defense. After bouncing around the D-League he seems like an NBA player to me (though he needs a lot of work with his hands). If his hands get a bit softer and he finds himself in a better defensive scheme: He’s a backup who might end up with serious minutes.
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- Lopez will miss his first game of the season tonight. (AP)
