Brooklyn Nets Expected To Release Marcus Thornton

The Brooklyn Nets acquired Marcus Thornton from the Washington Wizards in a trade Wednesday but he is expected to be waived.

The Brooklyn Nets got in the NBA Trade Deadline foray on Wednesday. They agreed to a deal with the Washington Wizards, sending Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough to Washington. In return, the Nets will be receiving Andrew Nicholson, Marcus Thornton, and a 2017 protected first round pick.

The first round pick, which is lottery protected, was the main acquisition for the Nets. They had to take on the final three years and almost $20 million remaining on his deal, but get the much needed first round pick for their troubles.

Nicholson has a chance to carve out a role with the Nets, especially if they continue purging the roster of veterans. Brook Lopez and Trevor Booker are both on the block and would open up front court minutes, especially Booker. If Booker is traded, Nicholson could find himself with a nightly role.

Getting the younger players experience is the goal for the Nets the remainder of the way. This is already a lost season as the Nets have the worst record in the NBA; seeing what they have in some of their younger players makes sense. That is why Thornton won’t last too long with the team.

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports that the Nets are expected to waive Thornton.

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This would have been the second go-round for Thornton with Brooklyn; he was acquired in a deadline deal in 2014 from the Sacramento Kings. That time around he helped push the Nets into the postseason, averaging 12.3 points per game after landing with the Nets. That won’t happen this time around, as Thornton will hit the free agent market.

Once the trade deadline passes, and Thornton makes it through waivers, he should have no trouble finding a spot on a roster at the end of a bench. While he fell out of favor with the Wizards, not appearing in the last 21 games after appearing in 33 of the first 34, he is a proven scorer that could help a team’s bench unit.

Thornton has been a sparkplug off the bench previously in his career, averaging 10 points a game off the bench despite playing only 19.3 minutes per game. With the NBA transitioning more and more to an offensive game with small ball lineups every day, Thornton should latch on with a team before the season ends.

Next: Brooklyn Nets: 5 Trade Destinations For Brook Lopez

With Thornton being waived, and Bogdanovic heading to Washington, there should be plenty of minutes available on the wing. Caris LeVert should see an increase in minutes, and could even enter the starting lineup in Bogdanovic’s place.