NBA Trade Deadline: Sean Marks keeping Brooklyn Nets together
As the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline came and went, the Brooklyn Nets made just two minor moves.
The Brooklyn Nets were rather quiet as this year’s NBA trade deadline passed.
General manager Sean Marks traded Tyler Zeller to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Rashad Vaughn and a future second-round draft pick and then flipped Vaughn for New Orleans Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham.
Although Marks had viable trading assets, he decided to keep the team together.
“I like continuity,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said Friday, according to brooklynnets.com. “I like that we have a group of guys that we’ve been working with for a long time.”
DeMarre Carroll and Joe Harris were both rumored to be on the trading block in the weeks leading up to the deadline.
It was also rumored that the Cleveland Cavaliers offered their first-round pick for Spencer Dinwiddie, which Brooklyn reportedly declined.
Marks made the right decision choosing not to disrupt the team’s chemistry.
Brooklyn’s average age of 25 years old makes it the seventh-youngest roster in the NBA.
The veteran presence of Carroll, Harris, and Dinwiddie adds an important dynamic to the locker room.
Lowe says Cavs offered their pick for Spencer Dinwiddie.
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) February 9, 2018
The decision not to trade him for a first-rounder is a good indication of how much Nets value him.
With a harvest of young talent, Brooklyn felt keeping leadership was more important than trading for additional assets.
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It’s not surprising Marks was content to keep the roster intact.
Despite Brooklyn’s struggles, the team continues to give effort on a nightly basis.
In their first game after the NBA trade deadline, the Nets erased a 28-point deficit and forced two overtimes, but fell short to the Pelicans 138-128.
Brooklyn continues to drop close contests, having lost 13 games by five points or fewer already this season.
The addition of Cunningham will help, as the veteran forward brings some much-needed depth and defense to the rotation while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson continues to sit with a groin injury.
Next: Could Brook Lopez return to the Nets?
As the stretch-drive approaches, Brooklyn looks to continue evaluating its younger players.
The season continues Monday, as the Nets take on the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center.