{"id":16322,"date":"2018-07-21T12:07:06","date_gmt":"2018-07-21T16:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=16322"},"modified":"2018-07-21T12:36:46","modified_gmt":"2018-07-21T16:36:46","slug":"brooklyn-nets-continue-to-make-positive-moves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2018\/07\/21\/brooklyn-nets-continue-to-make-positive-moves\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Nets Continue to Make Positive Moves"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The NBA off-season continues to roll on. Summer League is now complete. Free agency remains ongoing. In a time where hope springs eternal, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/brooklyn-nets\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brooklyn Nets<\/a> continue to make positive moves. General manager Sean Marks&#8217; relentless approach towards improvement is self-evident. There is an air of Nets positivity permeating throughout Brooklyn.<\/p>\n<h1><strong>Brooklyn Nets Continue to Make Positive Moves<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h2><strong>The Removal of &#8216;Dead Weight&#8217;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While all members of the Nets were fully engaged, exhibiting nothing but the epitome of professionalism, some were not contributing to the team&#8217;s on-court product. As a result, a change was warranted. The trade of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mozgoti01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Timofey Mozgov<\/a><\/strong> started that movement.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">OFFICIAL: Brooklyn Nets complete trade with Charlotte Hornets<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BbnTYIMvPQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/BbnTYIMvPQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrooklynNets\/status\/1015378639670538240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Mozgov was a positive presence in the locker room and was always quick to celebrate\/uplift teammates on the bench. However, the fact is Mozgov was acquired as a salary dump and now it was time to move on from his exorbitant\u00a0salary. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/charlotte-hornets\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Charlotte Hornets<\/a> afforded the Nets such an opportunity, as they too had badly needed salary-cap relief. So the deal was made with Charlotte, who badly wanted to get out from beneath the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/howardw01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dwight Howard<\/a><\/strong> contract.<\/p>\n<p>Marks quickly bought out Howard&#8217;s contract and he has since signed with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/washington-wizards\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Washington Wizards<\/a>. This allows the Nets to have huge salary cap flexibility and options in the 2019\u00a0off-season.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Enter the Foreign Legion: The Draft\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>After a presumably exhaustive search, Marks and the Nets chose<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/musadz01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dzanan Musa<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kurucro01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rodions Kurucs<\/a><\/strong> in the first and second rounds, respectively. Whilst unknown to most US-based\u00a0fans, Musa and Kurucs enter the Nets&#8217; team with little to no pressure, though they have big reputations in Europe.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">See the scene at HSS Training Center on welcome day for @DzananM13 and @RODIONS1 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WQYe2vLzU5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/WQYe2vLzU5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrooklynNets\/status\/1010517335520829440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 23, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Both Musa and Kurucs are projected as sharpshooting wings. Musa, in particular, garnered a reputation as a gunner, dubbed &#8220;The Bosnian Sniper&#8221; by draft guru Mike Schmidt.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Saying Goodbye is Difficult<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As part of Marks&#8217; masterplan for the future, some players had to make way. The Nets made two trades.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">OFFICIAL: Brooklyn Nets acquire Faried, Arthur and draft picks from Denver. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/L6PVfbmtzo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/L6PVfbmtzo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrooklynNets\/status\/1017943430046060546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>First, the Nets sent Coney Island native guard <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/whiteis01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaiah Whitehead<\/a><\/strong> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/denver-nuggets\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Denver Nuggets<\/a> for forwards <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/farieke01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kenneth Faried <\/a><\/strong>and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/arthuda01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darrell Arthur<\/a><\/strong>. A protected 2019 first round draft pick and a 2020 second round draft pick were also included. Faried, nicknamed the &#8216;Manimal,&#8217; hails from New Jersey and has worked out in NYC during previous off-seasons. He fell out of favor with Nuggets brass after the emergence of star center <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a><\/strong> along with young players like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murraja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jamal Murray<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harriga01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gary Harris<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Marks was optimistic about this acquisition. \u201cI think he fits with that Brooklyn grit that we talk about in terms of how he plays; he plays with high intensity, obviously at a fast pace,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/nets\/news\/2018\/07\/17\/brooklyn-nets-gm-sean-marks-talks-kenneth-faried-jeremy-lin-trades\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said Marks<\/a>. \u201cHis game will transition well to Brooklyn and what (coach) Kenny\u2019s (Atkinson) wanting to do here. He brings some of the intangibles that you mentioned before, which is just that interior presence, the physicality and so forth.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that Marks then traded Arthur to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/phoenix-suns\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Phoenix Suns<\/a> for veteran forward <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dudleja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jared Dudley<\/a><\/strong>. Dudley is a career 39.6 percent three-point shooter, which fits perfectly into the plans of coach Atkinson. More importantly, Dudley is a locker room leader. He aided in the development of the Suns&#8217; young studs.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Jeremy Lin Trade<\/strong><\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Much love to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JLin7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JLin7<\/a> for everything you contributed while in Brooklyn.  Your effort and passion made us better on and off the court. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8n2Sla9d4H\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/8n2Sla9d4H<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrooklynNets\/status\/1017849273092894722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 13, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Next, the Nets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/nets\/news\/2018\/07\/13\/brooklyn-nets-complete-trade-with-atlanta-hawks\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">traded<\/a> guard <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/linje01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremy Lin<\/a><\/strong>, a 2025 second round draft pick along with the right to swap second-round picks in 2023 to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/atlanta-hawks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Atlanta Hawks<\/a>. They received the draft rights to guard <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cordiis01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaia Cordinier<\/a><\/strong> and a protected 2020 second round draft pick. Cordinier currently plays for Olympique Antibes in the French top tier.<\/p>\n<p>For Nets fans, the departure of Lin\u00a0is especially tough. He was a fan favorite and unquestioned leader of the Nets, though injury plagued. As soon as he arrived in Brooklyn from Charlotte, Lin openly embraced the arduous challenge ahead. That endeared him to the fans. Lin&#8217;s enthusiasm never waned even while his body betrayed him. The arrival of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/russeda01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">D&#8217;Angelo Russell<\/a><\/strong>, the emergence of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dinwisp01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spencer Dinwiddie<\/a><\/strong>, combined with the development of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leverca01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caris LeVert<\/a><\/strong> may have shaken the belief of many. However, Lin was resolute in his duties. Losing Lin is akin to losing a relative to some Nets fans.<\/p>\n<p>Marks said, &#8220;We would like to thank Jeremy for all of his contributions to the Nets organization both on and off the court over the past two seasons and wish him much success as he moves forward with his basketball career.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No matter where you go, you&#39;ll always be Brooklyn&#39;s own. Thanks <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/isaiahwhitehead?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@isaiahwhitehead<\/a> for representing the best of what we work to be. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XyuJN96d1h\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/XyuJN96d1h<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrooklynNets\/status\/1017943948155932672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 14, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Free Agent Additions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Marks and the Nets have a strategy; acquire talent for cheap. To this end, the Nets have become a bit of a &#8216;marked&#8217; team by both players and fellow teams. During Summer League, Marks was photographed having an informal conversation with Boston Celtics restricted free agent <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smartma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marcus Smart<\/a> <\/strong>and his agent. A few days later, Smart and the Celtics came to a contract agreement. Marks re-signed guard<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harrijo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joe Harris<\/a><\/strong> to a 2-year deal. Harris had suitors throughout the league, however he was steadfast in his desire to return to Brooklyn.<\/p>\n<p>The Nets also returned to the team that gave them <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/crabbal01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Allen Crabbe<\/a><\/strong>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/nba-teams\/portland-trail-blazers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Portland Trailblazers<\/a>. While Crabbe was acquired via trade, the Nets signed Trailblazer free-agents <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davised01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ed Davis<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/napiesh01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shabazz Napier<\/a><\/strong>. Both Napier and Davis were key members of a Trailblazer team who were the third seed in the vaunted Western Conference last season. Davis provides much need strength and size to the Nets front-court. Napier adds depth to the point guard position with the loss of Lin and Whitehead.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Finally<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In this off-season of transition, the Nets led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/marksse01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sean Marks<\/a> have embodied that spirit. Marks has quickly become one of the most aggressive GMs while showcasing an aptitude and secrecy that keeps all guessing. The Nets since the arrival of Marks have one goal, to improve. To this end, that means talent acquisition. With all of the aggression shown by the Nets, it is undeniable that the Nets are much more talented today than they were last season.<\/p>\n<p>Expect Marks to continue this aggression once Marks continues his talent hunt.\u201cI think what we\u2019ve done is we\u2019ve strategically looked at various different ways to build and we\u2019ve been able to pivot over the course of these last couple years, and that\u2019s the same case of what we\u2019ll do over this next year,&#8221; Marks said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Positive road Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When specifically asked what to expect from the Nets, Marks preached patience and flexibility.\u00a0\u201cThere\u2019s never a number of wins that we need to reach this threshold and so forth,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/nets\/news\/2018\/07\/17\/brooklyn-nets-gm-sean-marks-talks-kenneth-faried-jeremy-lin-trades\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said Marks<\/a>. \u201cI think as we go forward and as the year transpires, you\u2019ll see a group of guys that are hungry, and they\u2019ve got a lot to play for.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Expect the Nets positivity to continue as Marks continue to improve the Nets.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo<\/p>\n<p>The player Spencer Dinwiddie of the team Brooklyn Nets is seen in action during the match of NBA between of Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets on December 09, 2017 in M\u00e9xico City, Mexico (Photo by Carlos Tischler\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General manager Sean Marks&#8217; relentless approach towards improvement is self-evident. There is an air of Nets positivity permeating throughout Brooklyn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":466,"featured_media":12170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1608,62],"tags":[1558,1284,232,1640,982,235,1286],"class_list":["post-16322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nets","category-basketball","category-nba","tag-dzanan-musa","tag-ed-davis","tag-jeremy-lin","tag-joe-harris","tag-rodions-kurucs","tag-sean-marks","tag-shabazz-napier"],"modified_by":"Lior Kozai (Managing Editor)","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/466"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16322"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16322\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}