NBA Rumors: Andrei Kirilenko to Nets Makes Gerald Wallace Expendable

The soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets potentially traded away a good chunk of talent to land combo forward Gerald Wallace at the trade deadline this year. Sending Mehmet Okur and Shawne Williams back to Portland certainly wasn't hard, but potentially parting with a lottery selection was.

The Nets' 2012 pick is top-three protected, meaning if they land pick No. 1, 2 or 3 in the lottery they keep it—if they land No. 4, it belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers. New Jersey tied for the fifth-worst record in the league this past season so they do actually have a legitimate chance at keeping the pick, but they have just as good a chance of losing it too.

A No. 4 overall selection for Gerald Wallace is hard to justify, and the veteran could easily opt for free agency rather than picking up his $9 million player option. In the worst-case scenario, Wallace walks and the Nets send the No. 4 pick to Portland for a player they rented for 16 games.

Wallace reportedly wants a long-term deal, and the Nets do have intentions to work with him, but they also have to work on keeping Deron Williams. 

To make matters somewhat easier, the Nets reportedly have a deal in place with former NBA star Andrei Kirilenko. The 31-year-old played in the Russian Professional Basketball League this past year, but wants to make a stateside return with the Nets and Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

According to NBA.com writer Wendell Maxey:

"

spoke with two contacts in russia close to andrei kirilenko. say AK to brooklyn nets deal in place. plans to sign 3-year after euroleague.

— wendell maxey (@w_maxey) May 2, 2012"

Kirilenko starred alongside Deron Williams in Utah for the first five years of the star point guard's career. Together they helped the Utah Jazz reach the playoffs in four straight seasons.

The Russian star doesn't offer the type of scoring prowess Wallace does, but he's bound to be cheaper and plays great defense. If the Nets were to sign both of them they'd likely tied up anywhere between $12 million and $20 million in two combo forwards going into their 30s.

Wallace is a great talent, but he's not someone this team needs to overpay for anymore. 

Don't put it past the Nets to sign both of them, but bringing in AK47 does minimize the need for re-signing Wallace long-term.