The Nets are capped out, fairly old and don’t have a guarantee of their own first-round pick until 2019.
Celtics fans are cackling, but it’s a tough situation for Brooklyn. There are few mechanisms to get better, and the usual upside of being bad – a high draft pick – doesn’t apply.
But the Nets found a way to add young talent in Thomas Robinson and Shane Larkin.
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders:
Thomas Robinson is nearing a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, according to league sources. Trying to find out the terms.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 2, 2015
Thomas Robinson's deal with the Brooklyn Nets will be a two-year deal, with a player option for the second year, according to sources.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 2, 2015
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post:
I really like the Robinson move for the Nets. Zero risk flier on an athlete and rebounder. Gives them nice depth at both big spots.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 2, 2015
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
Free agent guard Shane Larkin has agreed to a two-year, $3M deal with the Brooklyn Nets, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 2, 2015
I like both signings.
The Nets tried to sign Robinson last season, but the 76ers swooped in. He was the No. 5 pick just three years ago, and though he hasn’t put it all together in the NBA, he’s been far from useless. He has rebounded particularly well, and that could give him a ticket to playing time – and an opportunity to rehab his value.
Larkin will receive part of Brooklyn’s taxpayer mid-level exception. The Knicks declined his third-year option (and haven’t done much with the created cap room), allowing him to hit free agency early. Like Robinson, Lark has yet to make an overly impressive NBA impression. But he has a knack for getting steals, can jump high and shot well from outside his final year of college.
With Robinson and Larkin, Brooklyn has decent young talent to work with – which is more than I expected.