Best Landing Spots and Trade Scenarios for Brooklyn Nets' Andrei Kirilenko
Since he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in July, 2013, it's been a strange year and change for Andrei Kirilenko.
After opting out of $10 million to sign with the team in the first place, Kirilenko has seen his role fluctuate from limited to non-existent under two different coaches.
And following the news of his leave of absence from the Nets, reports are suggesting he may have played his last game for the organization. The New York Post's Tim Bontemps has more:
"Although league sources indicated Kirilenko’s absence for personal reasons for Friday’s game against the Thunder and Saturday’s in San Antonio had nothing to do with his lack of playing time recently, the 33-year-old forward has clearly fallen out of Nets coach Lionel Hollins’ plans, and it appears the team could soon be ready to move on.
Sources said no buyout negotiations have taken place yet, but that it’s possible the team could try to trade Kirilenko and his $3.3 million expiring contract. If such a trade were to materialize, it would likely be after Dec. 15, when all rookies and players signed to contracts this summer are eligible to be moved.
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Kirilenko shared his own thoughts on the situation with Russian outlet Sport-Express. NetsDaily.com provided the translation:
"I was satisfied with Brooklyn. I liked the system of the club, which is strongly reminiscent of the one that I played in Utah. I liked Lionel Hollins. Yes, this is no joke! He is a very competent expert who is coaching well, but ...
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After the first few games of the season Hollins himself came up and said, 'Andrei, I do not see your role on the team.' I respect him for his honesty and candor. I think in this situation it's silly to demand something as a way to put pressure on the coach.
In fact, my time was beginning to shrink with every next match in the course of the preseason. But then, I did not attach much importance to it. And in the first 3 - 4 games of the regular season, I did not truly understand what was happening...
If Kirilenko is traded, there's a decent chance it won't be his last move of the year. ESPNNewYork.com's Ohm Youngmisuk is already reporting that the Philadelphia 76ers are talking trade-and-release with the Nets.
Long story short, Kirilenko is available, and there's more than one way he can be had.
A number of teams should be interested. Despite a rough stay in Brooklyn, he's barely over one season removed from a very solid stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In just 31.8 minutes, Kirilenko stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals and one block per game. And that says relatively little about his versatility as a defender.
The following organizations have the pieces to make a trade and would benefit from his 6'9" size and unique skills.
Bear in mind, though, that the possibility of these same five teams signing him as a free agent could present itself as well. In that case, they might not have to offer much more than a veteran's minimum contract to make the acquisition.
Cleveland Cavaliers
1 of 5
Possible deal: Dion Waiters for Kirilenko and a second-round pick
Why it works for Cleveland
The start of this season could be classified as somewhere between stumbling out of the gate and face-planting for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They're not bad enough to panic, but they're also not satisfied with the current roster.
Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher reported that LeBron James and Kevin Love have already pitched Corey Brewer on joining the team, and Timofey Mozgov has been discussed as well. In both cases, Dion Waiters would be on the way out.
If Cleveland fails to land either, Bucher says, "They are going to continue to aggressively look for deals to change this team."
Cue Kirilenko, who despite being 33 years old, is some kind of Brewer-Mozgov hybrid.
The slender, 6'9" forward has the build and perimeter defense of Brewer. He also has the ability to protect the rim, which is what Cleveland would want from Mozgov.
No, Kirilenko is not a game-changing shot-blocker like he was for a few seasons with the Jazz, but he still makes more sense in that role than Anderson Varejao or Tristan Thompson. Just look at the career block percentages of all three:
| Andrei Kirilenko | 18.7 | 5.0 |
| Tristan Thompson | 15.1 | 2.1 |
| Anderson Varejao | 15.8 | 2.1 |
If David Blatt uses the right scheme, putting Kirilenko in position to get weak-side blocks when opponents look to get shots over Varejao or Thompson, this could be a perfect fit.
Why it works for Brooklyn
At first glance, you might see Waiters and Joe Johnson on the same roster and be terrified over the amount of potential ball-stopping. And your concern would be warranted.
But at some point, Brooklyn has to start thinking about getting younger. Deron Williams is 30 with an injury history that reads like a Cormac McCarthy novel. Johnson is 33. And Kevin Garnett is 38 and well into the twilight of his career.
Waiters, meanwhile, is just shy of 23. And in the two seasons in which he wasn't playing fourth (maybe even fifth) fiddle, he averaged 18.9 points per 36 minutes.
He's not a centerpiece to build around for the future, but he can be a piece. And when it only costs you a guy who's not going to play anyway, why not?
Houston Rockets
2 of 5
Possible deal: Clint Capela and Donatas Motiejunas for Kirilenko
Why it works for Houston
The Houston Rockets were among the biggest losers this NBA offseason. Chandler Parsons signed with the Dallas Mavericks. And second-unit studs Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik were shipped off to make room for a third superstar.
And what about that third superstar? Well, that was Chris Bosh, and he still plays for the Miami Heat.
That left Houston with a fairly shallow team. The solid start notwithstanding, it could still make a move or two to bolster depth.
Kirilenko can play either forward spot for the Rockets and is a clear defensive upgrade over Donatas Motiejunas at the 4 and Francisco Garcia at the 3.
Offensively, he may not fit the Moreyball formula perfectly, but he's a crafty and willing passer who'll hit open shooters after catching the ball on the roll.
Why it works for Brooklyn
It won't take long to see a theme developing on each slide for the Nets. They're really old, and other teams have players who aren't.
In this case, the prize for the Nets would be Clint Capela. The 20-year-old rookie is 6'10" with a 7'4.5" wingspan. He has great defensive potential, according to Draft Express' Jonathan Givony:
"Defensively, Capela has the physical tools to guard any of the opposing frontcourt positions and be an absolute dominant rebounder, but he rarely showed an inclination to give his best effort, especially when things weren't going his way on the other end of the floor. He tends to lose his focus and jog the floor lackadaisically in these moments, making some very careless mistakes.
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Despite the very negative tone of this report, it's clear that Capela can easily turn things around for himself if he finds the willingness to do so.
It may take him two or three years to contribute at this level, which is the only reason Houston might be willing to part with him, but the Nets may be closing in on that time when they need to entertain a rebuild.
Utah Jazz
3 of 5
Possible deal: Jeremy Evans and a second-round pick(s) for Kirilenko
Why it works for Utah
With Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, Rodney Hood and Joe Ingles all in the rotation, there aren't many minutes to be had on the wing in Utah.
But the mere mention of his being on the outs in Brooklyn has already piqued the interest of a few Jazz bloggers. SLCDunk's AllThatAmar was one of the first to react:
"Obviously his use to the Jazz are partly for nostalgia purposes, but also as that veteran off the bench who has actually played in big games before (Olympic medal games, Western Conference Playoff games, etc). I think that if there was a guy who was going to make Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood into solid wing defenders it could be Andrei coaching them in practice / film sessions. Last season he played 19.0 mpg, and I seriously doubt that there is 19.0 mpg to be found on this roster. But I am certain that Quin Snyder, who knows the Euro game under Ettore Messina, would be able to find a place for a high basketball IQ forward passer.
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Why it works for Brooklyn
This isn't a great haul for the Nets. Jeremy Evans still seems relatively new to the league, but he's already 27. And a second-round pick is anything but a sure thing.
But Utah has a load of picks acquired through trades (seven second-rounders, according to RealGM). If the Jazz are somehow hovering around .500 in the middle of December and suddenly have a pining for some perimeter defense and that veteran presence AllThatAmar talked about, they might pony up two of those potential gems.
Again, that doesn't help the Nets now. But assets like that can help in future deals, and every once in a while a second-rounder sticks.
Los Angeles Clippers
4 of 5
Possible deal: Reggie Bullock and fillers for Kirilenko
Why it works for LA
Prior to the season, the Los Angeles Clippers looked about as complete as any team in the NBA. But the real games have exposed a glaring weakness on the wings.
Matt Moore of CBS Sports explains:
"The wing has been a position of priority for them for years, and they've gone through constant maintenance to try and upgrade it. The problem is that they've tried parsing together the wing they need (a creative ball-handler who can shoot and defend) by compiling with separate components: a shooter (J.J. Redick), a ball-handler (Jamal Crawford), and a defender (Matt Barnes).
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Kirilenko doesn't give you all three of those things in one, but he's at least as good a defender as Barnes, if not a slight upgrade, and an underrated passer.
The real benefit for the Clippers is upgrading on the wing without necessarily having to lose any of those three. In Moore's piece, combinations of one or more of Redick, Crawford and Barnes are mentioned as the players the Clippers would have to move to make an upgrade.
The Nets could conceivably use Redick's shooting, but if they're still out of the playoff race in a couple of months, young talent would make more sense.
Why it works for Brooklyn
We haven't had much of a chance to see Reggie Bullock perform in the NBA, but he came into the league with the potential to space the floor.
In his last season at North Carolina, Bullock hit a blistering 43.6 percent from three-point range. He's at 33.7 percent for his NBA career, but the form still looks good. More attempts and more rhythm could nudge that number up.
A straight swap for him doesn't work under salary-cap rules, though. LA would have to include one or two of its low-money players who'll be eligible for trades on December 14.
Ekpe Udoh, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Douglas-Roberts or Glen Davis could help facilitate the deal. And if Brooklyn insisted on more young talent, it might try to include Jared Cunningham.
San Antonio Spurs
5 of 5
Possible deal: Jeff Ayres, Cory Joseph and a second-round pick for Kirilenko
Why it works for San Antonio
No coach in the NBA is better at making a square peg fit in a round hole than Gregg Popovich. He's a master at identifying a player's most valuable skill and then magnifying it within his system.
Bleacher Report's Joel Cordes couldn't help but think of the possibility, saying on Twitter, "If AK47/Nets divorce true, #Spurs need to make it happen. Pop always wanted him. Shadow, but can still play. Spurs always need depth upfront"
Kirilenko just looks like a Spurs player. Astute analysis, I know. But you know you can imagine him whipping the ball around in the half court, finishing on the break and running high pick-and-rolls in the second unit with Manu Ginobili.
And as a defense-first player with more than a decade of experience, he'd jell with a defense-first coach who values work and basketball IQ.
Why it works for Brooklyn
This would be akin to a deal with the devil for the Nets. They'd have to know Popovich would almost certainly make them look silly for giving up on Kirilenko, but the Spurs could offer a pick and maybe one of their younger prospects.
Cory Joseph has looked great early in the season but is likely to move back to a benchwarming role when Patty Mills returns from injury.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats and salary figures are courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com, and are current as of Nov. 21, 2014.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
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