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Brooklyn Nets: Should DeMarre Carroll be traded?

By Chris Milholen

BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 25: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) DeMarre Carroll #9 of the Brooklyn Nets in action against LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center on March 25, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Cavaliers defeated the Nets 121-114. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 25: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) DeMarre Carroll #9 of the Brooklyn Nets in action against LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center on March 25, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Cavaliers defeated the Nets 121-114. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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With Jeremy Lin likely to remain with the Brooklyn Nets, should general manager Sean Marks consider trading DeMarre Carroll?

The Brooklyn Nets will not heavily shop Jeremy Lin this offseason, according to a report.

Lin, who exercised his $12.5 million player option shortly after the 2017-18 season, has only played in 37 games over the past two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets.

Lin has averaged 14.6 points and 5.1 assist in those 37 games with Brooklyn. Out of those 37 games played, Lin has started 34 of those games for the Nets.

Now with Lin likely to stay with Brooklyn for the final year of his contract, should Brooklyn look for a deal to trade DeMarre Carroll?

Carroll was traded to Brooklyn on July 9, 2017. In the deal, Brooklyn received Carroll, a 2018 first-round pick (lottery protected) and a 2018 second-round pick. Toronto received big man Justin Hamilton in return.

The motive behind the trade was for Toronto to free up cap space.  At the time of the trade, Carroll had two years remaining on the four-year, $58 million deal he signed with the Raptors in 2015.

2017-18 season with Brooklyn Nets

Carroll was considered a salary dump entering the 2017-18 season. Well, the Nets forward proved those doubters wrong. Carroll had the best year of his career, playing huge roles on and off the court for Brooklyn.

Throughout the 2017-18 season, the 31-year-old forward stayed consistent on both ends of the floor.

Notable games

On Oct. 25, Carroll helped Brooklyn take down the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 32 minutes of play, he scored 18 points with one assist on the offensive end, but his defensive effort was a huge factor in the win. Carroll recorded four steals and seven rebounds.

To go along with his steals and rebounds, he had a couple key stops in the closing minutes and did a great job of guarding LeBron James. His key stops on the defensive end in the final minutes helped Brooklyn secure the 112-107 win.

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One month later, on Nov. 26, Carroll had a great game against the Memphis Grizzles. In 35 minutes of play, Carroll scored 24 points and dished two assists. On the defensive end, the Nets forward had one block and key stops throughout the game.

He locked down his opponent and only drew two fouls. Carroll led the Nets to a 98-88 win.

On Jan. 19, Carroll led the Nets to a big win over the Miami Heat. It was important for Brooklyn to win this game. They were on a three-game losing streak and lost six of their last seven games.

He scored a season-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range. His performance lifted the Nets over Miami 101-95.

Veteran leadership

The 31-year-old forward had a great impact on and off the court for the young Brooklyn Nets. Carroll was the second-oldest Net during the 2017-18 season and one of the few Nets with playoff experience. Not only does he have playoff experience; he has winning experience.

Many may forget but Carroll was a part of several winning teams early in his career, including the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks.

Although the Nets did not have a winning season, nor are they used to winning, he brought a winning mentality. This mentality was present throughout the season, but played a huge role in the closing games of the season.

When the Brooklyn Nets were officially eliminated from playoff contention, Carroll made sure his young Nets finished the season strong. His veteran leadership helped the Nets finish the month of April 3-3.

Although he did not play in four of those six games, he helped led the Nets from the bench and finish strong.

Should the Brooklyn Nets trade Carroll?

Now, their is only one reason the question of trading Carroll is being raised. The answer is cap space. The Nets currently hold around $8.7 million in the cap this offseason.

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    • The Nets have reached deals with two free agents this offseason. They are set to bring back Joe Harris and have a deal to bring in Portland’s big man, Ed Davis.

    The good thing for Brooklyn is neither one of those deals will affect the cap space due to early Bird rights on Harris and using the bi-annual exception on Ed Davis.

    Now, does Brooklyn need to trade Carroll just to free up cap space? The answer to that question is no. The Nets should not shop Carroll just to free up cap space. He only missed a total of nine games last season and played very consistent for the Nets.

    He averaged 13.5 points, 2.0 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game last season.

    Another question is should Brooklyn focus on with its remaining space? The Nets missed out on signing Julius Randle; who instead signed with the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday. There is no clear indication on who Marks and Brooklyn are targeting.

    Trading Carroll just to free up the cap space is not a good idea and should not be done.

    Carroll’s market value

    Now, Carroll has a good market value. At 31 years old, he just came off the best year of his career, nearly doubling his scoring. If the Nets were to trade Carroll, he would fit well on either a contender or a young team in need of veteran leadership.

    The Nets are not focused on winning it all next season or even making a deep run in the playoffs. With LeBron James out of the Eastern Conference, this gives Brooklyn some hope to slip into the playoffs.

    With all this being said, the Nets should not shop Carroll. He plays a huge role for the Brooklyn Nets and could be too valuable to let go. Brooklyn should also consider giving Carroll an extension or re-signing him after the 2018-19 season.

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    Carroll will be making $15.4 million next season with Brooklyn, per Early Bird Rights. He will be the second-highest paid Net after the Dwight Howard buyout becomes official.