via NetsDaily:
David Aldridge reports on NBA TV that the Nets are “calling around the league” hoping to move up in the lottery where they would like to take Thomas Robinson, NCAA Player of the Year and a projected top five pick. Aldridge said the Nets hope to use Robinson to close the deal with Deron Williams or in a trade for Dwight Howard.
Aldridge reportedly used the word “desperate” to describe the Nets efforts.
Desperation seems about right, because here’s a quick and dirty (and mildly incomplete) list of the Brooklyn Nets’ current assets:
- Jordan Farmar ($4.25 million player option he has yet to pick up)
- Brook Lopez (own his rights, have yet to tender qualifying offer)
- Anthony Morrow (signed through 2012-13 for $4 million)
- Johan Petro (signed through 2012-13 for $3.5 million)
- MarShon Brooks (on second year of rookie contract)
- Jordan Williams (on second year of rookie contract)
- Rights to Bojan Bogdanovic (currently overseas)
- The 57th overall pick in the 2012 draft
- The Rockets’ first-round pick, lottery-protected until 2016 or 2017 second-round pick
- Their own 2013 and 2014 first-round picks (they do not own their second-round picks in either year)
- $3 million in cash to facilitate trades
Here’s a challenge: out of that pile, make a reasonable offer that you’d listen to for Thomas Robinson, or any top-five draft pick. Then, after that trade’s done, make an offer to the Orlando Magic that would entice them into giving up Dwight Howard. Go on. I’ll wait.
This is just a rumor, and even though David Aldridge is one of the more connected and trustworthy guys in the reporting biz, I’d recommend (as always with anonymous rumors) to take the report with a grain of salt, and remember who could have leaked it, why it may have been leaked, and who could stand to benefit.
That said, if you’re surprised, you haven’t been paying attention to this team for the past three seasons. That said, Thomas Robinson would be an awesome building block to watch develop over the next decade, if the Nets had any interest in keeping him upon imaginary acquisition.
#BrooklynReady
