Before the Brooklyn Nets recently acquired James Harden from the Houston Rockets and, in turn, depleted a big chunk of their reserves, they also lost guard Spencer Dinwiddie to season-ending injury.
While Nets general manager Sean Marks is searching for ways to bolster the depth, the team got a little bit of good news from the NBA office on Friday (via The Athletic's Shams Charania).
Spencer Dinwiddie—who many had pegged as a potential Sixth Man of the Year for the Nets—tore his ACL no more than a week into the season in what was a huge blow to Steve Nash's squad.
However, the $5.7 million disabled player exception will be highly beneficial to a team desperately in need of some bench pieces.
While the Nets certainly have the top-end talent to make a run in the Eastern Conference, the bench unit needs some serious work. Landry Shamet, Bruce Brown, Reggie Perry, Joe Harris, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is the current group for Brooklyn, and that might not propel them very far come playoff time.
The Nets did sign free agent big Norvel Pelle on Friday. So, it's safe to say Marks and the franchise are already at work to bolster the bench in an all-out effort to win an NBA championship.
That $5.7 million exception will be huge for the Nets going forward, and once the buyout market comes into fruition, Marks will have his choice of guys who would love to come and compete for a title.
On the other hand, Marks could trade for a player or two, especially as teams get into sell mode as the halfway mark of the season draws closer.
Needless to say, don't put it past Marks to get some pieces, and make the Nets even more dangerous than they already are.