Nets Acquire European Star Teletovich and Reggie Evans; Build Formidable Bench

The Nets have already started to build a formidable bench around All-Star trio Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson. 

Stefan Bondy of the Daily News has reported that the Nets reached an agreement with 27-year-old Spanish league star Mirza Teletovic to a 3-year, $15 million contract.  The Nets will use their mid-level salary cap exception to compensate Teletovic

Teletovic is a 6'9", 270 lb. stretch forward who averaged 21 PPG in the Euroleague last season.  According to Draft Express, scouts have fawned over his ability to score from anywhere on the floor. 

A long forward with great shooting range, Teletovic could cause opposing big-men severe match-up problems, forcing them to leave the paint on defense.  That could create all sorts of scoring opportunities the lethal slashing guards Williams and Wallace.   

On the other hand, Teletovic's defense and rebounding are both poor.

The Nets have taken steps to address some defensive concerns.  According to ESPN, they acquired Los Angeles Clippers' banger Reggie Evans for an inexpensive 3-year contract worth $5 million. 

Evans is euphemistically called an "enforcer."  He's a poor scorer and free-throw shooter, but his physical front court play can exhaust opponents.  More importantly, the 31-year-old veteran can, at times, be a very active rebounder.

Playing for the Clippers in the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies, Evans had two double-digit rebound performances and provided an injured Clippers' starting line up with high energy play.

Second year shooting guard Marshon Brooks could be the Nets sixth man off the bench.  Brooks had a streaky rookie season in 2011-12, averaging 12 PPG on 42 percent shooting. However, Brooks had nine 20+ point games and has shown high levels of speed and athleticism.

The Nets bench is still in need of another front court player, a strong perimeter defender and a back up point guard. 

In June, future hall of fame point guard Jason Kidd indicated he wouldn't mind playing backup point guard to Deron Williams. 

However, because the Nets have used their mid-level exception on Teletovic, they currently only have enough cap room to offer Kidd a bi-annual contract worth about $2 million a year.

The 39-year-old Kidd should demand slightly more money on the open market. Kidd will have to decide whether joining a potential dark-horse NBA championship contender is worth a salary cut.