Brooklyn Nets News: 3 Players Waived In Roster Cutdown

The Brooklyn Nets, like every team in the NBA, has to get their rosters trimmed to 15 players by the time the regular season rolls around. During the preseason, you can have up to 20 players under contract, but that number drops to 15 when the regular season comes around. The Nets began that unfortunate process, trimming three players from their roster that now sits at 17.

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The casualties in this round of cuts were undrafted guard Ryan Boatright of Connecticut, forward Quincy Miller, a 2012 second round pick, and center Chris Daniel, who went undrafted in 2008 and was appearing in the NBA for the first time since 2011 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Boatright had a strong career at UConn, winning a national championship alongside Shabazz Napier in the 2013-14 season. He always expressed confidence in himself, but faced long odds of making the Nets roster. Even after they agreed to a buyout with Deron Williams, the Nets still have Jarret Jack, Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan on the roster, not to mention Markel Brown who can also masquerade as a point guard.

Boatright has a strong pedigree from his work in college, but could find it tough to find a consistent spot on an NBA roster. He is pretty undersized, being listed at 6-feet and 175 pounds, but someone will probably take a chance on him eventually. He should be able to latch on in the NBA D-League. In four preseason games, Boatright averaged 4.3 points, 3.8 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 13.9 minutes per game.

The Nets were Miller’s fourth team already, as he seems to be running out of chances in the NBA despite being only 22 years old. The Nets are the latest team to pass on Miller just as the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons did before them. He came out of Baylor with a lot of hype, but has not had a chance to really showcase those abilities at the next level.

With the Nets, Miller looks to have lost out in the numbers game, as there are just too many players ahead of him that the Nets are more comfortable with. Joe Johnson and Thaddeus Young looked to be locked into starting roles. In addition, the Nets used a first round pick on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who also plays small forward and Thomas Robinson has outplayed Miller for minutes at power forward. Miller only saw 7.4 minutes per game in four preseason appearances with the Nets, so it was clear he was not someone the Nets were really going to invest in.

Last but not least was Daniels. It was surprising to see Daniels on the Nets preseason roster, as the 31-year old hadn’t been part of an NBA team since 2011, appearing only in Summer League action. He showcased the ability to step out and knock down a jumper, but unfortunately the Nets already have that in Andrea Bargnani.

Daniels should stay close to his phone though, because if the Nets liked him enough to bring him into camp, he could be someone they call during the season if injuries occur. Anyone that watches basketball knows that injury is Bargnani’s specialty, so there is a chance we see Daniels again. He appeared in five games for the Nets, averaging 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 13.0 minutes per game.

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The Nets will have to release at least two more players prior to their regular season opener, which is October 28th. The Nets will be hosting the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center that night, and two players from the preseason will not be there with them.