Brooklyn Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving made headlines this week when he admitted his team doesn't quite have the firepower to compete with the top contenders in the Eastern Conference. The 18-22 Nets currently are the eighth seed in the conference by a four-game margin, but they recently lost to teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Toronto Raptors—all teams looking down at them in the standings. Brooklyn schedule lays out two more rematches with the fearsome Sixers and a battle with the league-best Milwaukee Bucks.
How can the Nets submit to Irving's outcry for reinforcements? Adding Minnesota Timberwolves wing Robert Covington would be a start. Of course, Brooklyn is sorely missing two-time Finals MVP forward Kevin Durant, who joined in the summer, so the lack of consistency on the wing has been noticeable even in spite of Irving's prolonged absence due to injury when All-Star hopeful guard Spencer Dinwiddie picked up the slack. Covington, 29, is having a splendid season for the teetering Timberwolves, averaging 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds on 44.1% from the field and 35.5% from 3-point range. Covington starts for the Wolves and also racks up a combined 2.7 steals and blocks a game. He's a bona fide threat on defense and on one-on-one matchups for opponents and, crucially for the Nets, 62.1% of the the ex-Sixers forward's shots come from behind the arc.
Nets general manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson have built a team designed to create open looks for the perimeter and drown opponents in 3-pointers at full volume. Brooklyn takes the sixth-most 3-point attempts in the NBA this season but are third-to-last in converting the long ball. Covington certainly fits the mold of another shooter helping out Irving and the team's fourth-leading scorer Joe Harris, a plus-40% 3-point shooter.
Additionally, if they need to know about long-term role, Covington signed a four-year extension then with Philly that has him under contract through 2021-22. So, in other words, if RoCo isn't a fit with, say, Durant down the line, the Nets wouldn't have to pay cents on the dollar to later flip the Wolves forward for on-court reasons.
Covington's potential availability stems back to Minnesota's pursuit of one-time All-Star guard with the Nets D'Angelo Russell, now with the Golden State Warriors when he was acquired in the offseason in the Durant sign-and-trade. Should the Wolves need cap space or additional assets to swing a deal with the Bay Area franchise looking to sell high on Russell's skills, the Nets would benefit from having a veteran presence on the perimeter. He'd be on the books for two more seasons and could be the perfect role-player fit alongside Durant and Irving.
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