Now that there’s a month left until the Feb. 10 trade deadline, things are going to get even more interesting in the NBA. There’s not as big of a push for the Brooklyn Nets to make a move now that Kyrie Irving’s back as a part-time player, but there’s still plenty that the organization can do in the coming weeks.
That includes making a few trades. Before Irving’s return, it was painfully clear that the Nets needed to make a trade for a player that’d be able to help take some of the workload off Kevin Durant. He’s averaging a league-high 29.9 points, but now he’s been granted the relief of having his good friend back for road games.
Still, Brooklyn needs to try to add another shooter to its roster, and to do so, it’s going to take making a few of its players available on the trade market.
Here are 3 players that the Nets should trade ahead of the deadline.
3 players that the Brooklyn Nets should trade ahead of the deadline
3: Paul Millsap
After being left as the top free agent on the market, 36-year-old Paul Millsap signed a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum deal with Brooklyn during the offseason.
Millsap’s played in 29 games, missing several games due to personal reasons and time spent in the health and safety protocols, and he’s averaging career-lows in points (3.2) and rebounds per game (3.4).
He hasn’t played since Dec. 27, whenever he scored 2 points and added 2 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 block in 10 minutes against the Clippers. The Nets need depth at forward/center, but Millsap hasn’t contributed enough to make a solid case as to why he should stay in Brooklyn.
Steve Nash and Sean Marks advocated for Millsap to sign with the team, and he said that he decided to do so because of “winning now and winning a championship.” As much as we wanted things to work out for the four-time All-Star and the team, it hasn’t.
His role has decreased with Brooklyn in recent weeks, and because of players like James Johnson, the Nets don’t need Millsap. Not to mention, Nash doesn’t use Blake Griffin in the way that he should, and Millsap still hasn’t been able to make much of an impression.