Late Saturday night, while in attendance at Las Vegas Summer League, Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and Nets GM Sean Marks discussed a deal. Soon after, a trade was announced.
The Brooklyn Nets will receive DeMarre Carroll and Toronto’s 2018 first and second round picks. In return, Toronto receives C Justin Hamilton from Brooklyn, and rids itself of Carroll’s $30 million over the next two seasons.
Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets are having themselves an impressive offseason rebuilding what was thought to be a lost cause. After Washington decided to match Brooklyn’s offer sheet on Otto Porter, Marks acquires a starting SF and reunites former Hawks Carroll and current Brooklyn Head Coach Kenny Atkinson.
Toronto is still capped out, but saves a bunch of money in luxury tax and opens up a $5.2 million Mid-Level Exception which can be used to improve their bench. During the Raptors first round playoff series against the Bucks, Toronto Head Coach Dwayne Casey started Norman Powell over Carroll. Powell responded with a game-changing 25 point performance in game five, and averaged 12.6 points per game for the series. The 23-year-old guard figures to be a starter for Toronto moving forward.
Brooklyn still has $13.5 million in cap room remaining, $16.5 million if they let Randy Foye go, and it may take all of that to get newly-UFA Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Additionally, the Nets could look to dump Andrew Nicholson’s $6.6 million. KCP should be receiving interest from multiple teams, and it may take close to the max to have a shot at him.
Toronto giving up both of their 2018 draft picks seems like a high price, considering Carroll will be a starter for Brooklyn, and his salary doesn’t burden them. The Nets definitely won this trade, just as they did with the Lakers. Sean Marks has a once dismal franchise on the cusp of establishing themselves as the best team in New York.
