Breaking down the Brooklyn Nets roster moves ahead of the NBA restart

Gilbert McGregor

Breaking down the Brooklyn Nets roster moves ahead of the NBA restart image

Ahead of the NBA restart, teams were granted the ability to sign free agents should any of their players opt out of joining the team due to injury or coronavirus concerns.

While the league saw plenty of movement, no team made as many roster moves as the Brooklyn Nets, who needed to fill seven spots in order to have a full roster in Orlando.

At 30-34, the Nets currently hold the East's seventh seed and, at the very least, will be forced in a play-in situation for eighth.

Eastern Conference seeds 7-9
  Team W L PCT GB
7 Brooklyn Nets 30 34 .469
8 Orlando Magic 30 35 .462 0.5
9 Washington Wizards 24 40 .375 6.0

Should it hold on to the No. 7 seed, Brooklyn will likely be set for a date with the defending champs in the first round. Who will lead them there? Before breaking down the Nets' roster, here are the decisions that resulted in the need for moves.

  • June 5 – Kevin Durant ended speculation of a potential return from an Achilles injury by telling The Undefeated "My season is over. I don’t plan on playing at all…  I had no plans of playing at all this season."
  • June 5 Adrian Wojnarowski reported that if Kyrie Irving were to join the team in Orlando, it would be as an inactive player after he underwent shoulder surgery on March 3.
  • June 24 The team announced that rookie forward Nic Claxton had undergone season-ending shoulder surgery.
  • June 28 – Wilson Chandler told ESPN that he would be opting out of the restart to spend more time with his family.
  • June 30 DeAndre Jordan shared via Twitter that after testing positive for COVID-19, he would not be joining the team in Orlando.
  • July 7Spencer Dinwiddie shared via Twitter that he would not be joining the team in Orlando after multiple positive COVID-19 tests.
  • July 7 Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Taurean Prince had tested positive for COVID-19 and would sit out of the restart.

Brooklyn Nets roster at the NBA restart

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Jarrett Allen

Allen, the only Net in Orlando to have played in all 64 regular-season games, is averaging 10.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game this season.

Justin Anderson

Anderson signed with the Nets as a Substitute Player on July 18. The 26-year-old appeared in three games with the Nets in early January while on a 10-day contract.

Chris Chiozza

The second-year guard signed a two-way contract with the Nets on Jan. 4. In the final five games before the season came to a hiatus, Chiozza averaged 10.0 points while shooting 55.9% from the field and 52.6% from deep.

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Jamal Crawford

The 40-year-old signed with the Nets on July 9 and is set to embark on his 20th NBA season. Crawford last appeared in a game on April 9, 2019, scoring 51 points against the Dallas Mavericks as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Donta Hall

Hall, a 6-foot-9 rookie, signed with the Nets as a Substitute Player on July 10. Appeared in four games as a member of the Detroit Pistons this season.

joe-harris

Joe Harris

Harris, who sinks 2.4 triples per game at a 41.2% clip, is one of the most potent sharpshooters at the restart. The 2019 3-Point Contest champion will put his talent on full display as he stands to be one of the best shooters on the free agent market, as noted by NBA.com's Scott Rafferty.

Tyler Johnson

Johnson signed with the Nets on June 24 after being waived by the Suns in February. Things come full circle for Johnson, who signed a four-year, $50 million offer sheet with Brooklyn in 2016 before it was matched by the Miami Heat.

Rodions Kurucs

After earning a selection to the Rising Stars Game as a rookie, Kurucs has seen his production take a dip in his sophomore year. After averaging 12.8 minutes over the 39 games he has played this year, the Latvian will see an increase in minutes as he will likely step in as a starting forward.

LeVert

Caris LeVert

With Irving and Dinwiddie out, the 25-year-old LeVert is the team's leading scorer at the restart as he's averaging 17.7 points over 39 games. Among those games was a 51-point performance in an overtime win over the Celtics that teammate Kevin Durant called a "masterpiece."

Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot

After spending time with three teams over three seasons, the former first-round pick seems to have found a home in Brooklyn, as he signed a multi-year deal with the Nets in February. The Frenchman is averaging 6.3 points this season while shooting 35.8% from distance.

Jeremiah Martin

Martin signed a two-way deal with the Nets in January and has appeared in three NBA games. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 17.7 points and 4.8 assists in 37 G League games with the Long Island Nets.

Dzanan Musa

The 21-year-old was selected 29th overall by the Nets in the 2018 NBA Draft. A native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 6-foot-9 Musa is averaging 4.2 points and 2.0 points through 35 games this year.

garrett-temple

Garrett Temple

A consummate veteran, Temple is in his 11th NBA season and the Nets are the ninth team he has suited up for. At 34, he's averaging a career-high 10.3 points to go along with 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Lance Thomas

Thomas signed with the Nets as a Substitute Player on July 15 after spending training camp with the franchise this past season. The 6-foot-8 forward last saw action in an NBA game on April 5, 2019 with the New York Knicks and is set to begin his ninth NBA season.


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Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.