A report emerged the Nets were shopping Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez.
Brooklyn general manager Billy King also denied the team was having a fire sale.
Was the initial report wrong, or was King lying?
There’s a middle ground where neither is the case.
Howard Beck of Bleacher Report:
The 10-12 Nets could probably use a shakeup. Trading one of those players would probably accomplish that. Trading all three would definitely provide a shakeup, though it would make remaining competitive difficult.
But there might be another factor at play.
If the Nets pay the luxury tax this year and next, which they’re projected to do, the repeater tax will kick in next season. If they dump one of Williams, Johnson or Lopez this season without taking salary back, they’d slip below the tax line.
Of course, trading one of those players without taking back salary would be nearly impossible. However, it wouldn’t be quite as difficult to maneuver below next year’s tax line.
Ridiculous spending hasn’t gotten the Nets anywhere but mostly locked into this roster. At this point, a single move is not only more realistic than three, it might be enough to expose a light at the end of the tunnel.
