Nets: 3 free agents to sign after James Harden mega trade
By Mike Luciano
2. Dewayne Dedmon
As good as DeAndre Jordan looked this week and as impressive as rookie Reggie Perry has been in spurts, an already bad Nets interior defense just got even worse with Allen moving on to Cleveland. While the cupboard is comparatively bare when looking at center options on the free-agent market, Dedmon stands out as the best player still available. While he emerged as a solid backup big in Orlando and San Antonio, Dedmon really took off in Atlanta, as the former USC star averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds with the Hawks, all the while shooting 36 percent from three on three attempts per game.
Even if Jordan starts to play a little better on both ends of the floor, the lack of depth on the interior only exacerbates the squad’s poor defense that could come back to bite them in the postseason. Adding Dedmon could help alleviate that, given his ability to scoop up rebounds, block shots, and nail a few baskets on the offensive end every game without demanding the ball too much.
Brooklyn trusted Jordan and Perry to stop the parade of elite big men that the East will throw at them in the postseason is simply foolish. The first order of business for Steve Nash and Sean Marks should be looking for free agents that can improve their defense, and Dedmon can do that while remaining a quality offensive player that can play a big part in helping Nash fix Brooklyn’s issues with rebounding on both ends of the court.