Brandon Jennings could very well end up in Brooklyn two weeks from now in a trade that would send Thaddeus Young to the Detroit Pistons, sources tell SheridanHoops.com.
There are several teams looking to acquire Jennings, who has been a starter most of his career but is currently stuck behind Reggie Jackson on Detroit’s depth chart. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Brooklyn is one of the teams with the biggest need at point guard after losing Jarrett Jack for the season to a knee injury. The Nets are willing to give Jennings a long-term contract as they begin the process of rebuilding following the reign of error directed by Billy King.
The Nets may need to give the Pistons an additional player, the source said, adding that the back end of the trade would be where the Nets could outbid another team. Detroit has Steve Blake to plug in behind Jackson in the playoffs, but Blake is on an expiring contract. Shane Larkin, who has a $1.5 million player option for next season, could be added to the trade.
Or Brooklyn could throw in Jack, who would serve as Jackson’s backup next season if the Pistons picked up his $6.3 million team option. Detroit would have to add additional salary to make such a deal work, but they have two expendable big contracts in Jodie Meeks and Reggie Bullock.
The trade talks were disclosed by a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The source said numerous other teams were also pursuing Jennings.
In Young, the Pistons would be acquiring a more conventional power forward with a decent mid-range game to play alongside Andre Drummond. Current starters (Ersan Ilyasova 11.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Marcus Morris (13.7 points, 5.2 rebounds) are nowhere near as productive down low as Young, who averages 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting just under 51 percent.
Young has 22 double-doubles this season for the Nets, who fired coach Lionel Hollins last month and are desperate to bring in established NBA players due to their dearth of upcoming draft picks.
Having a veteran point guard-center tandem in Jennings and Brook Lopez would make Brooklyn a more attractive destination for free agents, which owner Mikhael Prokhorov said was the quickest path to rebuilding in his stating-the-obvious news conference following the firing of King and Hollins.
Here is what one deal centered around Jennings and Young would look like in the ESPN trade machine:
More on this possible trade in this interview with Justin Shackil of CineSport:
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
The Nets will NEVER trade Thad Young. He is near All Star and with better health that Lopez.
Lopez/Thad make a perfect pair.
Nets don’t have a GM. They will have to find a GM such as Danny Ferry who would immediately Nix that idea. It might be their marketing guy (Yormark) who started this rumor.
Beside, Thad is under contract for 3 more years and Nets might consider Jennings in free agency.
Thad can also play some SF, making him very valuable.
I rate this rumor an F grade.
Chris, I respectfully disagree. This trade would return them to the log jam in the paint that they finally got out from underneath when dumping josh smith. Why would they go backwards? I really respect you man but I think you were up entirely late at night when you concocted this perspective. Who cares what your sources say, search your feelings. (Star Wars)
Stan Van has already totally denied this trade as being made up (and that is being nice).
Young is a much more valuable player than Jennings, who’s unproven due to his recovery from surgery.
Meanwhile Young is having a career year and is just 27.
No one in Nets organization has the power to make such a trade before a GM is selected. Even marketing guru, Brett Yormarket knows that Young is part of the Core franchise along with Brook Lopez. And they work so well together, that it makes no sense to break up the core.
Not happening. NEVER. And if Danny Ferry becomes the Nets GM, Billy King would remain on. King gets credit for getting Young for KG, in a steal. King was not a terrible GM. He did what the Russians wanted him to do. He just didn’t negotiate those trades well, such as giving unrestricted draft picks and swapping picks.