Brooklyn Nets Can’t Forget About Valuable Veterans During Free Agency

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NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 02: Kelly Olynyk /

Centers

Kelly Olynyk – 26 years old, 9.0 PPG, 2.0 APG, 4.8 RPG

Is it a stretch to consider Kelly Olynyk a veteran? Probably, but he’s older than majority of the Nets’ players on the current roster. So, by that logic, Olynyk is a perfect veteran fit in Brooklyn. The only issue is whether he is a viable scoring replacement for recently traded center Brook Lopez.

MUST READ: Can Kelly Olynyk Replace Lopez’s Scoring for the Nets?

While his stat line doesn’t pop out at you, he has yet to play more than 22.2 minutes per game in any of his four seasons. If his career stat line was stretched to 36 minutes, he would average 16.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. This is comparable to Lopez’s career stat line, so if given the opportunity, Olynyk could be the replacement the Nets need.

Dewayne Dedmon – 27 years old, 5.1 PPG, 0.6 APG, 6.5 RPG

One of the many things the Brooklyn Nets struggled in doing last season was playing interior defense and rebounding, enter Dewayne Dedmon. Dedmon was able to pull down 6.5 rebounds per game while only playing 17.5 minutes for the San Antonio Spurs.

If Dedmon could bring that rebounding prowess to the Nets, he would be a solid rotation player. At seven feet tall, playing him alongside a tenacious scorer and rebounder like Trevor Booker or Quincy Acy, would vastly improve the Nets’ bench play.

David Lee – 34 years old, 7.3 PPG, 1.6 APG, 5.6 RPG

There was a time when David Lee was flying above the rim for the cross-town rival New York Knicks and averaging nearly 18 points a game for the Golden State Warriors. Those days are long behind this savvy veteran, but he can still be an effective role player.

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Still an efficient interior force, Lee could fill the void left by Trevor Booker, were he to be traded. Lee has great passing ability from the low block, often finding players for buckets with ease. His experience and IQ will make the team better and help develop the younger players.