Brooklyn Nets swingman Wilson Chandler announced on Sunday his intentions to also sit out the resumption of the 2019-20 NBA regular season at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
With superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving also confirming that they will not return from their respective injuries, the Nets are now scrambling to find another body to fill out Chandler’s spot.
Brooklyn (30-34) is currently in 7th place in the Eastern Conference and have won their last three games prior to the suspension of the season.
Ideally, the Nets would prefer to sign another veteran winger who could play multiple positions like Chandler. The 33-year-old forward sat out the first 25 games of the year following a lengthy suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
He averaged 5.9 points on 40.4 percent shooting from the field and 30.6 percent from downtown, to go along with 4.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 35 games.
While his numbers weren’t that all impressive, Chandler brought in a veteran presence and was a commanding voice in the locker room. The Nets’ chances of clinching a playoff ticket are still quite high, considering their young studs like Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, and Jarett Allen have had fantastic showings so far.
However, they do need another battle-tested veteran off the bench, especially since they will likely match-up with one of the top two teams in the East in the first round.
While it would be tricky to find another 6-foot-8 forward who could stretch the floor, the Nets reportedly already have a substitute in mind in Justin Anderson.
The team is already quite familiar with the University of Virginia-alum, as he signed a 10-day contract earlier this season and appeared in three games. Anderson tallied 1.0 points per game in 5.7 minutes of play.
While Anderson is still relatively young at 26 years old, bringing him back doesn’t look like the best choice for the Nets at the moment. The lefty swingman has proven to be a decent role player throughout his five-year career, but there’s still plenty of more enticing options for Brooklyn at the moment.
Nets former players like Joe Johnson, Allen Crabbe, Ryan Anderson, and Iman Shumpert are all available in the market, but it’s highly unlikely that Brooklyn’s brass will roll the dice on them again.
The team cannot go wrong with a walking bucket like Jamal Crawford, especially come playoff time. However, they also need a guy who can be reliable on both sides of the ball.
This is where Lance Stephenson comes in. “Born Ready” is considered a wild card pick, but there’s no doubt he can still play at a high level. At 6-foot-6, Stephenson can play both guard positions and even switch to small forward from time to time.
While he’s been out of the league for quite some time, Stephenson had a sensational season with the Liaoning Flying Leopards in the Chinese Basketball League. He also won MVP in the 2019 East Asia Super League Terrific 12 tourney last year.
He last played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018-19 season, where he thrived as a good spark plug off the bench. In 508 games, Stephenson has career averages of 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.
Even without Irving manning the point, the Nets have found success with Dinwiddie leading the charge. They have guys like Tyler Johnson and Chris Chiozza as back-ups, but adding another capable ball-handler could only strengthen their chances.
Sure, Stephenson is not the most reliable shooter out there and he does have a tendency for unnecessary theatrics. Still, the guy can do a lot of great on the court and the Nets should take the gamble with him.
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