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Nets finally unload DeAndre Jordan in trade to Pistons, save $47M in salary and taxes

The rumored trade of DeAndre Jordan away from the Brooklyn Nets has finally come to fruition as Sean Marks orchestrated a deal with Detroit that sends the veteran big man, four future second round picks and 5.78 million to the Motor city in exchange for Jahlil Okafor and Sekou Doumbouya. Okafor spent two seasons with Brooklyn after the former 2015 NBA draft's third round pick was traded by Philadelphia to the Nets. Marks signing Paul Millsap and likely inking LaMarcus Aldridge in the near future make Jordan even more dispensable. 

Jordan was inactive during the Nets' playoff run and despite Milwaukee throwing big bodies at the Nets in the paint, Steve Nash kept his center on the bench. 

, With small ball lineups pervasive across the league, aging Giants like Jordan have difficulty finding minutes, especially in the Nets' switch heavy schemes. Next order of business for Sean Marks is lining up extensions for Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

Aging former All-Stars Paul Millsap, LaMarcus Aldridge might not have much left in the tank to help loaded Nets

If the year was 2011, adding Paul Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge during free agency would be the NBA story of the off-season.

Flash forward ten years and adding a pair of 36-year-olds even to a star-studded roster doesn't nearly have the same impact.

Brooklyn had a glaring weakness in regards to the quality depth of its front court last season and that was no more evident than by their second round ousting at the hands of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Aldridge, a seven-time All-Star and Millsap a four timer have all the credentials to step in and make an immediate impact with the franchise.

The concern and question marks revolve around the mileage and age on both players and how much they'll be able to bring to the table.

Sean Marks and Steve Nash will likely employ heavy load management to Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, but how will they handle the minutes from the newly signed veterans?

During the playoffs, the versatile big men will provide a boost in the rebounding and inside scoring department, but depending on the matchup, teams can utilize small ball lineups that would likely force Aldridge to the bench.

Raining on the Nets free agency parade isn't the goal, but age and minutes restrictions during the regular season may minimize the duo's impact along with potential playoff opponents' pace of play and utilization of a small ball lineup to negate Nash using frontcourt depth.

Former Nets PG, NBA sensation Jeremy Lin discharged from Shanghai Hospital after COVID-19 treatment

Linsanit, AKA Jeremy Lin, took the NBA by storm in 2011-2012 with the New York Knicks and played parts of two seasons with the Nets from 2016-2018 at the start of general manager Sean Marks' tenure with the team. Lin played only 37 games in two years with Brooklyn as injuries derailed his chance to be the team's starting point guard long-term.
In August of 2021, Jeremy Lin was admitted into a hospital in Shanghai after testing positive for COVID-19. Lin received three weeks of treatment to battle through the virus. Currently playing for the Beijing Ducks, Lin appears recovering and recuperating. In May of 2021, Lin hinted at his retirement from the NBA after playing for the Warriors G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. The cultural icon took his talents to Beijing at the start of this year too serve as the Ducks starting floor general.

NBA's updated restrictions on unvaccinated players may have a tangible impact on Nets

 The NBA is doing everything in its power to nudge unvaccinated players in the direction of taking the COVID-19 vaccine prior to training camp opening later this month.



Due to HIPPA laws, the names of the league's players who are yet to be vaccinated has not been made public, but without a medical or religious exemption, the league's players will be unable to perform their everyday job of playing at the team facility or home arena in markets that require vaccinations.

A few weeks back, the Nets put similar restrictions on unvaccinated employees or anyone in contact with players, staff or team executives.

The Nets starters: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris and Blake Griffin are expected to be at the team's facility for training camp, but if any of the aforementioned names are absent from camp,  concern will start to grow from the fan base that a key player or players will be unable to play due to the new vaccine requirements.

Recent reports have indicated that as many as 90 percent of all NBA players are vaccinated, but until the familiar faces Nets fans are accustomed to seeing electrify Barclays Center are present for roll call, the more adjuda it will produce for a fan base just hoping for its nucleus to stay healthy and on the court.





Nets' brass challenged with balancing act of load management versus chemistry factor for Durant, Harden, Irving

 Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving played merely nine regular season games and five playoff games as a healthy trio. The results in those contests were undeniable as the three superstars seemed to mesh effortlessly and largely blow away the competition with overwhelming talent and offensive prowess.




Getting Durant, Irving and Harden on-court reps in the regular season is important to continue to build a rapport with one another but also for the development of young rotation players: Nicolas Claxton, Bruce Brown along with free agent additions Patti Mills, Jevon Carter (via trade) and DeAndre' Bembry. 

At what cost are Steve Nash and Sean Marks willing to incur to ensure the Nets are a well-oiled machine come playoff time? 

Brooklyn finished 48-24, second in the conference behind Philadelphia and despite Game 7 on its home floor against Milwaukee, fell inches short of advancing to the conference finals. 

Home court advantage is certainly a factor in the playoffs, but conserving minutes and keeping the team's most dynamic players fresh for a title run has to be a top priority. Irving is coming off a severely sprained ankle, Harden a moderate hamstring strain, and while Durant was healthy for last year's stretch run, he helped carry Team USA to Gold in the Tokyo Olympics after shortened offseason, playoff push and prior to that 18-months without playing in a regular season game. 

Treating Brooklyn's three-headed monster with kid gloves is not the recipe for success either. Irving has battled his share of foot and leg injuries throughout his career, while the normally iron-man Harden was never able to fully recover from a hamstring strain after showing up late to Rockets training camp out of shape. 

So the question remains, what is the perfect amount of games for the Nets' Big Three to play together? 40? 50? 60 or more? 

Marks' and Nash's philosophy likely won't be so straightforward as they have the luxury of all players being able to orchestrate the offense so they can staggered load management games play two stars together, one on his own or in back-to-backs and long road trips let the rest of the club's roster handle the heavy lifting. 

It's clear that the requisite talent is in Brooklyn to deliver on championship hopes, but managing minutes and the job the team's training staff can do to keep its stars healthy will go a long way in determining the Nets' fate during the 2021-2022. 

LaMarcus Aldridge's unfinished business in Brooklyn too tempting to pass up if medically cleared for NBA return

 The Brooklyn Nets are among the top teams on LaMarcus Aldridge's short list of clubs he'd likely sign with if doctors give him the greenlight to return to the professional hardwood this upcoming season.

The 36-year-old shut things down after a heart condition he was diagnosed during his college days at Texas resurfaced following Brooklyn's 2021 regular season loss to the Lakers.



The Nets sorely missed the big man's rebounding and shooting touch with the team's offensive output dried up against Milwaukee in the playoffs outside of Kevin Durant's heroics and flashes from Jeff Green and Blake Griffin with Kyrie Irving injured and James Harden out.

In 16 seasons as a pro, nine with Portland, six with San Antonio and last year with Brooklyn, the seasoned vet has never been to or won an NBA Finals.

A second go around with Brooklyn could arguably his last best chance to complete his quest for a ring and cement is legacy as one of the best big men of his era.

Clearly Aldridge isn't the same player he was when he was still in his prime, but his rebounding, mid-range shooting and basketball savvy would serve the franchise well particularly in a razor thin front court that is reportedly soon to be without DeAndre Jordan after a likely buyout.

Aldridge has a few more hurdles to clear with doctors before finalizing a return, but the power forward was sorely missed during last year's playoff run that ended with a second round elimination and could be the missing piece to the Nets championship puzzle this year.



Kyrie Irving, James Harden extension cliffhangers could rock Nets' World

As it stands now, both Kyrie Irving and James Harden could choose to play outside of Brooklyn after the upcoming NBA season. Those are the facts and the reality facing Nets general manager Sean Marks.
The media distraction alone with reporters and fans speculating on the future of Brooklyn's Big Three together would be a nightmare to deal with. Off the court, Irving, Harden, and Kevin Durant are as close as it comes, but business is business.

 Brooklyn's front office needs to complete this off-season by inking the team's starting backcourt to an extension. With Irving out and Harden injured during the past playoff run, Brooklyn couldn't get out of the second round despite Durant's heroics.

 On paper, the Nets are the odds-on favorites to win the Larry O'Brien, but beyond this season, Harden and Irving need to be part of the equation for the franchise to remain top tier status in the league.

Nets' Gaming Crew to play in 2K League's ECF, Kevin Durant amped for playoff matchup

The Brooklyn Nets may have fallen one game short of the Eastern Conference Finals, but Nets'Gaming Crew locked up a berth after knocking off Philadelphia on Friday night. The NBA's official e-gaming league doesn't exactly showcase a matchup of the real league's top heavyweights, but 2K fans, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving may draw inspiration from this playoff run.

Durant is one of the game's cover athletes alongside legends Dirk Norwitzki and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

With steaming services Twitch and YouTube broadcasting live streams of the playoff matchup, it will be fascinating to see if Brooklyn's joystick masters can come out on top.

Nets' NBA2K League Player Suspended for Violating Code of Conduct

 The Official Nets Gaming Crew's small forward Dante "Dante" Colache has been suspended one playoff game for violating the player Code of Conduct, announced NBA 2K League President Brendan Donahue on Friday. 

Dante's suspension begins on Friday, August 27, in the Nets' Gaming Crew's first game of a three-game playoff series against the Hornets' Venom GT.

In May of 2020, the Nets' GC issued a 1-year ban within the NBA's 2K league to guard Randolph "Rando" Moreno for a player code of conduct violation. 

In June of 2020, a 2K  league investigation revealed that Nets' GC small forward Marquis "Randomz" Gill quit with 4:13 left to play trailing Piston's 71-39. Gill was suspended one-game.


 Nets' GC has been proactive in handing down suspensions for players in violation of the conduct policy as maintaining the integrity of the competition appears to be paramount. 

Sean Marks' training camp extension deadline for Kyrie Irving, James Harden approaching fast with no deal finalized

NBA training camps open September 28 and Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks put a self-imposed deadline for Kyrie Irving and James Harden extensions to be completed before training camp.
Kevin Durant already reached a four-year extension, but the second and third parts of the Nets' three-headed monster still need to have their futures secured. Of course, there is still time to lock up two of the franchise's cornerstone pieces long-term, but the longer things drag out and as the training camp deadline draws near, the more angst it will cause Nets fans, the more it will be a media storyline, and the more it will be a distraction for players. 

 It's far from panic time for Brooklyn, but the next 15-30 days will be critical in solidifying the team's off-season and ensuring top talent stays on the roster for the foreseeable future.
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