UPDATE: Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Nets & Kings are nearing agreement, with no additional picks or cash:
Brooklyn-Sacramento nearing agreement on Jason Terry-Reggie Evans for Marcus Thornton deal, as Yahoo reported Tuesday. No picks or cash.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 19, 2014
With less than 48 hours until Thursday’s 3 P.M. trade deadline, the Nets are continuing their pursuit of Kings guard Marcus Thornton, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Wojnarowski writes…
Sacramento’s talks with Brooklyn on a deal to acquire guard Jason Terry and forward Reggie Evans for Kings guard Marcus Thornton have progressed to a serious stage, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Wojnarowski added that a deal for Thornton wouldn’t change the status of Brooklyn’s talks with Los Angeles, who may look to unload Jordan Hill into Brooklyn’s disabled player exception. The move would help move Los Angeles closer to the luxury tax threshhold.
The Nets are looking to buy low on a player who’s shown talent in the past with upside to regain his form. The 26-year-old Thornton is a bench scorer in the midst of a down year: his shooting percentages are well below his career averages, he’s hitting less than 32 percent of his three-pointers, and he’s only scoring 12.3 points per 36 minutes, over seven points less than his career average of 19.4. Thornton’s only taken 45 shots at the rim in 46 games, an incredibly low number for a wing player and a major reason why he’s not scoring so well anymore. Thornton missed a couple of games this month with a hip injury, but other than that there’s no indication of injury, so it’s an odd time for a player who should be entering his prime to start spiraling.
The deal would add to Brooklyn’s incredible luxury tax bill, and though Grantland listed Thornton’s contract in their “Worst NBA Contracts” piece, and every addition to that bill is subject to ridiculous additive taxes, it wouldn’t make a huge difference. Thornton has two years and $16.6 million left on his contract, which is a steep price for someone who’d basically complement Alan Anderson on the wings, but the Nets would send back Terry ($11.5 million over two years) and Evans makes a little under $3.5 million over the next two years. That’d save Sacramento about $1 million over two seasons and around $3.5 million to Brooklyn’s tax figure this season.
Trade deadline deals, if they happen at all, can take multiple forms at a rapid pace. Though Evans, Terry, and Thornton are the primary pieces listed at this point, any combination of veteran’s minimum players and draft picks could still be included, and the deal could also expand to include other players. Alan Anderson and Quincy Acy are two examples of players on low deals that could get packaged to bolster the deal. But every time a deal gets bigger, it also gets closer and closer to falling apart.
The trade deadline is 3 P.M. Thursday.
Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports — Sources: MRI reveals that Kings’ Isaiah Thomas has strained ligaments in wrist
