The Brooklyn Nets have shifted their focus from acquiring Ben Gordon of the Charlotte Bobcats and Josh Smith of the Atlanta Hawks to Utah Jazz forward Paul Milsap, who could potentially be a better fit from a numbers standpoint, according to the New York Daily News.
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The Nets aren't in a hurry to make any trades as general manager Billy King has said on numerous occassions that he has faith in his team as constructed. But growing pressure to make it to the NBA Finals brought on by ownership and other targets falling through, may cause the Nets may make a move for Milsap before the Feb. 21 deadline.
Smith would likely be too expensive given his desire for a max deal when he becomes a free agent this offseason, while Gordon is seen as a potential defensive liability, despite being a capable scorer off the bench. The Nets are currently ranked fifth in the NBA in opponents points per game (94.4), and it's a big part of what makes them successful.
Our friends over at Nets Daily are all over this ongoing development. Here's what they had to say on what ails the Nets and why they may need to make a move:
After the game (vs. the San Antonio Spurs) Deron Williams mentioned "trust," while Gerald Wallace said that the team needs to "come together" and not "fight individually" when times are tough. Even Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich offered his two cents, saying they need to give it time to mesh, time to gain each other's trust, work within the system, and so on.
That doesn't make a trade sound imminent or even necessary, but it does demonstrate the fact that they need help.
With that in mind, Millsap is a player who can bring something to the table from both an offensive and defensive standpoint. He's averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field this season.