Category: Brooklyn Nets Blog

Former Nets GM Billy King, an experienced basketball executive who also traded years and years of Nets first round draft picks away in a deal that never should have happened, reportedly seeks a return to an NBA front office. Here’s the New York Post with details:

Billy King knows he’ll always have to answer for The Trade, but the ex-Nets general manager would to answer for it if another NBA franchise will give him the chance.

King, now president of a startup television network, occasionally appears as a guest on NBATV but remains infamous for mortgaging the Nets’ future in what is considered the worst trade in NBA history. By some measures, it is the worst trade in sports history…

King was the GM who spearheaded the disastrous 2013 deal that brought Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to Brooklyn. In return, the Celtics received everything but the lighting fixtures.

Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans and Kris Joseph were sent to Boston, along with, most damagingly, first-round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018, as well as swap rights in 2017.

King will have to work hard to overcome this, presumably by pointing to his other work spanning many years, and perhaps by sharing more about the mindset behind that big Nets deal, which even as it happened was obviously a very risky, massive gamble that came up craps. He certainly has the personality to win people over if given a shot.

He is a good guy. And has been fun to listen to as an analyst on TV.

But man… that trade.

Brooklyn Nets forward DeMarre Carroll underwent right ankle arthroscopy today. The procedure was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

An estimate on his return date isn’t available yet.

Carroll appeared in 73 games (all starts) for the Nets during the 2017-18 season, averaging 13.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.9 minutes per contest. Entering his 10th season, Carroll has appeared in 487 career games (331 starts) with Memphis, Houston, Utah, Denver, Atlanta, Toronto and Brooklyn, averaging 8.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.0 minutes per game.

The Brooklyn Nets have exercised the 2019-20 contract options for guard Caris LeVert and center Jarrett Allen.

The moves were expected, and likely a very easy decision for the Nets, as the two players are talented, still reaching their potential, and worth keeping around.

Allen appeared in 72 games (31 starts) in his rookie season, registering averages of 8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 20.0 minutes per game. The 20-year-old was selected by Brooklyn with the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

LeVert has appeared in 128 games (36 starts) in his first two seasons with the Nets, recording averages of 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 24.2 minutes per contest. During the 2017-18 campaign, the 24-year-old recorded averages of 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 26.2 minutes per game. LeVert was originally selected with the 20th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers before being acquired by Brooklyn in a trade on July 7, 2016.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward Drew Gordon.

And in a related move, the Nets have requested waivers on forward Mitch Creek.

Gordon (6’9”, 245) joins the Nets after spending the 2017-18 season with BC Zenit Saint Petersburg. In 21 games (13 starts) in Russia’s VTB United League last season, he averaged 11.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per contest. Over six professional seasons, Gordon has played five seasons overseas in Serbia, Italy, France, Lithuania and Russia and spent the 2014-15 campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers and their NBA G League affiliate, then the Delaware 87ers. In nine games with Philadelphia, Gordon posted averages of 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per contest. The San Jose, Calif., native played two collegiate seasons (2008-10) at UCLA before transferring to New Mexico for his final two seasons (2010-12). While playing for the Lobos, Gordon was named to the All-Mountain West first team as a senior and earned second-team honors as a junior, along with being named the conference’s newcomer of the year.

Creek originally signed with Brooklyn as a free agent on Aug. 20 and saw action in the Nets’ preseason contest against the Toronto Raptors in Montreal on Oct. 10.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guards Tahjere McCall and Shannon Scott.

Preseason ends tonight, and the regular season begins Tuesday, so McCall and Scott probably won’t be Nets for long.

McCall (6’5”, 190) joins Brooklyn after playing last season for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate. In 37 games (31 starts) for Long Island, McCall recorded averages of 9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals in 28.2 minutes per contest. On the collegiate level, McCall played two seasons at Tennessee State (2015-17) after spending his first two years at Niagara University (2012-14). While at Tennessee State, McCall earned All-Ohio Valley Conference first team honors twice and was the conference’s defensive player of the year in both seasons. The Philadelphia native saw action in 117 career collegiate games (93 starts), recording averages of 10.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 26.0 minutes per game.

Scott (6’1”, 185) joins the Nets after most recently appearing in seven games with Panteras de Miranda in Venezuela. He also played in 49 games (41 starts) for the Long Island Nets last season, averaging 7.9 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per contest and finishing the year ranked second in the NBA G League in steals per game (2.3). Prior to joining the LI Nets, Scott spent the 2016-17 season with Doxa Lefkadas B.C. of the Greek Basket League and the 2015-16 season with the NBA G League’s Raptors 905, averaging 9.2 points, 5.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 29.0 minutes per game in 48 games (37 starts). The Alpharetta, Ga., native played four collegiate seasons (2011-15) at Ohio State, where he earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors as a senior and Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors as a junior. Scott finished his collegiate career ranked second all-time in Ohio State history in steals (211).

The Brooklyn Nets have exercised the two-way player conversion option on guard/forward Theo Pinson.

Pinson originally signed with Brooklyn on Aug. 6 and appeared in the Nets’ preseason game versus the New York Knicks on Oct. 3, recording four points, one rebound and one block in 15 minutes.

The Greensboro, N.C., native joined Brooklyn after a four-year collegiate career at the University of North Carolina. In 122 games (58 starts) for the Tar Heels, Pinson recorded averages of 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. Pinson helped lead UNC to the 2017 national championship as a junior and earned honorable mention All-ACC and first-team All-ACC Tournament honors as a senior. Pinson registered career-high averages of 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in his senior season, becoming the first Tar Heel to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single season and the eighth player to do so in ACC history. He appeared in 14 NCAA Tournament wins throughout his career, tied for second in UNC history.

Pinson appeared in all five of Brooklyn’s games at the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League, posting averages of 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Nets will provide services primarily to the team’s NBA G League affiliate – the Long Island Nets – but can spend up to 45 days with Brooklyn, not including any time prior to the start of Long Island’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

The Brooklyn Nets have requested waivers on forward Nuni Omot and guard Jordan McLaughlin.

McLaughlin originally signed as a free agent with the Nets on Aug. 20, while Omot inked a deal with Brooklyn on Sept. 25. McLaughlin and Omot each appeared in the Nets’ preseason game versus the New York Knicks on Oct. 3.

Brooklyn’s roster now stands at 18 players.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed forward/center Alan Williams to a two-way contract.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted sign two players to two-way contracts in addition to the 15-man regular season roster. A two-way player for the Nets will provide services primarily to the team’s NBA G League affiliate – the Long Island Nets – but can spend up to 45 days with Brooklyn, not including any time prior to the start of Long Island’s training camp and at the conclusion of their season.

Williams (6’8”, 265) joins Brooklyn after three seasons (2015-18) with the Phoenix Suns. In 62 career games, he averaged 6.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per contest. During the 2017-18 season, Williams appeared in five games, averaging 4.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 14.1 minutes per game. He also appeared in three games with the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G League last season, averaging 16.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 23.4 minutes per game.

The Phoenix, Ariz., native went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft after a four-year collegiate career at UC Santa Barbara (2011-15). Williams led the nation in rebounding in both his junior (11.5) and senior seasons (11.8) and finished as UCSB’s all-time leading rebounder (1,125). He was named First Team All-Big West for three consecutive seasons (2012-15), becoming just the third player in school history to accomplish that feat.

The Brooklyn Nets signed guard Jordan McLaughlin and guard/forward Mitchell Creek today.

Until we hear otherwise, we will assume the signings are non-guaranteed deals that merely bring Creek and McLaughlin to Nets training camp.

Creek (6’5”, 216), joins the Nets after spending the last eight seasons playing internationally for both Adelaide of the Australian National Basketball League (2010-18) and BG Gottingen of the German Basketball League (2018). Overall, the Australian native appeared in 200 games (101 starts) for Adelaide, averaging 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.0 minutes per contest. In 2017-18, Creek was named to the All-NBL Second Team after guiding Adelaide to the finals of the NBL playoffs. He concluded the season ranked second on his team in points (14.8) and steals (1.2), third in rebounds (6.0) and fourth in assists (2.6). He then averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.4 minutes per contest in seven games for BG Gottingen. In international competition, Creek won a gold medal in 2017 while representing Australia in the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon.

Creek was also a member of the Dallas Mavericks’ 2018 Las Vegas Summer League team, appearing in five games and averaging 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game.

McLaughlin (6’1”, 185) joins the Nets after four years at the University of Southern California. He started all but one of his 128 career games for the Trojans, recording averages of 12.9 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 33.5 minutes per contest. As a senior, McLaughlin recorded a USC single-season record 281 assists, which ranked first in the Pac-12 and third in the NCAA, and averaged 12.8 points, a career-high 7.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and a career-high 2.0 steals in 35.3 minutes per game. The Etiwanda, Calif., native ranks second all-time in USC history in assists (738), third in steals (213), fourth in points (1,648) and fifth in 3-pointers made (185). He is also one of just three Pac-12 players all-time to record 700 or more assists and 1,600 or more points during his career.

McLaughlin was a member of the Nets’ 2018 Las Vegas Summer League team, appearing in five games and averaging 7.0 points, 4.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game.

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard/forward Theo Pinson.

Until reported otherwise, we will assume the signing is a non-guaranteed deal that merely brings Pinson to Nets training camp.

Pinson (6’6”, 210) joins the Nets after a four-year collegiate career at the University of North Carolina. In 122 games (58 starts) for the Tar Heels, Pinson recorded averages of 6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. The Greensboro, N.C., native helped lead UNC to the 2017 national championship as a junior and earned honorable mention All-ACC and first-team All-ACC Tournament honors as a senior. Pinson registered career-high averages of 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in his senior season, becoming the first Tar Heel to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single season and the eighth player to do so in ACC history. He appeared in 14 NCAA Tournament wins throughout his career, tied for second in UNC history.

Pinson appeared in all five of Brooklyn’s games at the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League, posting averages of 11.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.