The Brooklyn Nets couldn't take the Heat this year, so they need to make some changes to stay in the playoff kitchen a little longer next season.
After losing to Miami in the 2nd round of the playoffs by going cold at the wrong time, The Nets need to find a change agent this offseason, someone to keep things cooking all season and into the playoffs, and as of right now, that person won't come in the first round of the draft.
Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, and Kevin Garnett make up a solid squad for Brooklyn, but Net's management knows that the energizing change they need is probably going to come from a younger player, so they are very interested in acquiring a draft pick, according to Mike Mazzeo from ESPN.
This may be so they can use it to take a point guard, The Nets have already interviewed several prospects, including former Connecticut Huskies' point guard Shabazz Napier, former Colorado Buffaloes' point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, former Nevada Wolfpack point guard Deonte Burton and forward/guard Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
The question is, are they looking to replace Shuan Livingston, or are they looking to replace their starter, Williams?
If you read Bleacher Report, it looks like Deron Williams will soon be somewhere else.
"They could look to trade Williams this summer, retool around Johnson and Lopez, squeeze one more run out of Pierce and Garnett and hope for the best," Howard Beck writes.
"It's hard to say what the Nets might get for a 29-year-old former All-Star with bad ankles and $63 million left on his contract, but it's worth exploring. The Houston Rockets tried to acquire Williams last December, so it's not inconceivable that another team desperate for point-guard help might inquire."
According to Brian Geltzeiler of Hoops Critic, both Williams and the Nets front office are ready to call it quits, as Williams has never quite found his game for Brooklyn.
If the reports are true and both parties want to part company, it will be hard to find a suitable trade partner for Williams.
The Net's best hope may be the Lakers, because they showed interest in a possible trade for Williams in the summer of 2012 before ultimately signing Steve Nash and trading for Dwight Howard. They may still be interested as Nash's health is in question, and the purple and gold are also trying to find a new direction as Kobe gets older, and they have had to regroup after Howard didn't work out. If they can't pick up Kevin Love somehow, Williams might be on the table again.
