Reports that Andrei Kirilenko will be traded have been circling for about a month now, but last night Yahoo Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the Russian forward is likely to be traded to NBA bottom feeders the Philadelphia 76ers. The deal for Andrei Kirilenko is as simple as this; the Nets will give the 76ers Kirilenko, a 2020 2nd round pick and cash, and the Nets will receive power forward Brandon Davies.
This deal should be completed by Thursday.
This deal has not been done because Andrei Kirilenko isn’t good enough to play for the Nets, it’s more because the Nets need to clear cap space for the future, they will save $2.6 Million by getting rid of Kirilenko’s salary for the season, but also the Nets are set to save $6.6 Million in luxury tax. This is good for a team which has some of the highest salaries in the NBA, but is just not winning as many games as they would like. There is also an option for the Nets to add a minor player to this deal, with center Jerome Jordan and guard Markel Brown possibile adds, if the teams decide to take the deal further.
Both these teams will benefit from the deal, as the Nets have cleared cap space and the 76ers hopefully have added a good piece to their struggling roster, along with yet another draft pick. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nets venture back into the market, as they will still look to clear more space and build a stronger roster for the future. Look out for the likes of Kevin Garnett, Jarrett Jack and Brook Lopez as they could be on the move to other teams as we slowly get closer to the deadline.
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