With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, the Brooklyn Nets are mired in a 4-17 cold stretch that has dropped them to 11th in the Eastern Conference. After trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving at last year's deadline, general manager Sean Marks faces a laundry list of questions surrounding his new-look roster as trade speculation intensifies.
Veterans Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale and Spencer Dinwiddie have been fixtures in trade rumors dating back to last season. Fifth-year center Nic Claxton has been floated as a trade trip amid his impending free agency this summer. Even third-year guard Cam Thomas, who is leading Brooklyn in scoring after finally cracking the rotation, has an uncertain future ahead of potential extension talks this summer.
All this points to Brooklyn being among the NBA's most active teams at the deadline. And the mounting uncertainty may be taking a toll on the Nets, accentuating their recent struggles.
“I acknowledged [the trade rumors] to the group, in all honesty. I just like being transparent. I told these guys this is the nature of our business,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said. “For some guys, it's going to be harder, just because either they haven't been traded or they're not used to their names being in rumors. That's the world we live in. There's so many sites that you can go on, you got your phone with you 24/7.”
“But you got a job. Either play for the name on the front or play for the name on the back… It might affect some dudes more than others, though. I agree with that.”
"It might affect some dudes more than others"
Jacque Vaughn says he acknowledged the presence of trade rumors to the team ahead of the trade deadline: pic.twitter.com/RixQoVwNf8
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) January 26, 2024
Spencer Dinwiddie has struggled after red hot start
Dinwiddie was the engine of Brooklyn's offense early this season with Ben Simmons sidelined. However, his play has fallen off a cliff recently, raising questions about his buy-in. The point guard is averaging 10.7 points and 4.6 assists while shooting 38 percent on 8.5 shots per game over his last 16 appearances.
His drive-and-kick game, often the spark of Brooklyn's offense early this year, has disappeared. Dinwiddie is averaging 8.1 drives per game during that span. He averaged 15.8 per game after the Nets traded for him last season.
The 30-year-old has scored in single digits seven times over his last 16 appearances. That includes two scoreless performances, the last of which came during Tuesday's loss to the New York Knicks. Dinwiddie, who has omitted himself in the past when discussing Brooklyn's core, offered a telling response when asked about being benched late against the Knicks.
“We have phenomenal players on this roster. We have guys who we're entrusting the team to going forward, phenomenal human beings and phenomenal talent that we're gonna build around and they're gonna build around,” he replied. “What I've done in the past, that's great to talk about, but it's in the past. Having some of the best clutch seasons of all time, things like that, that stuff's in the past.”
The team's two other players most often mentioned in trade rumors, Finney-Smith and O'Neale, have also seen their production dip of late, although no one has questioned their buy-in. Finney-Smith has shot 26.0 percent from three in January while O'Neale has converted on 33.3 percent of his attempts.
The Nets' offense ranks 25th over their last 10 games amid the lack of production from Dinwiddie, Finney-Smith and O'Neale, among others. Speculation will only intensify as the Feb. 8 deadline approaches.
Following Thursday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Nic Claxton said the rumors are “part of the business” and insisted Brooklyn's players would play through the noise. However, that's easier said than done.
“It's like that every year, especially when you're on a skid and losing games the way we are,” Claxton said of trade speculation. “It's just a part of the business, it's part of the NBA. I don't think that's playing a role. We're all professionals, we all still have to go out and do our jobs and stay present. I mean, it's easier said than done, but that's our challenge. That's a challenge for a lot of players in the league at this time, certainly.”
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