Nets deal away Spencer Dinwiddie, Royce O’Neale ahead of NBA trade deadline
Thursday’s trade deadline was underwhelming for the Nets but not unexpected.
They tried to straddle competitiveness and flexibility, hoping not to stumble doing it.
The Nets found a taker for unhappy Spencer Dinwiddie, sending him to Toronto for Dennis Schroder.
And they continued shorting the Suns, flipping Royce O’Neale to Phoenix for three second-round picks.
“We go into these days always thinking about future flexibility, try to maintain some level of sustainability when we’re looking at how’s the team look this year, in six months time from now? How’s it gonna look in three, four years?” general manager Sean Marks said before the Nets’ 118-95 loss to the Cavaliers at Barclays Center. “We feel pretty good about it by adding the players we added, but at the same time, you’re keeping some those draft assets as well, that future flexibility.”
The Nets also brought back Thaddeus Young from the Raptors but waived him, according to a source, along with Harry Giles III.
And after getting four first-round picks and a swap from Phoenix for Kevin Durant, they added Keita Bates-Diop and three seconds: picks in 2028 and ’29 picks (via Memphis) as well as a 2026 that is the least favorable of Detroit, Orlando and Milwaukee. They waived Jordan Goodwin, too.
“I’m going to miss my boys. That’s probably the first thing. I’m going to miss being around them everyday and I hope the best for them,” Mikal Bridges said. “Dennis, playing against him for years and crafty and knows the game, wants to win, won at different stages. So it’s good to have him, and he’ll fit right in and help us. We’re 20-31, so we need as much help [as possible].
“Diop, that’s my boy, too. It’s going to be nice to see him when he gets here. But I know him, and he plays hard and plays the right way, too. But obviously, my boys are going to be missed.”
The biggest immediate add is Schroder, once he’s cleared.
YES Network reported that is likely to be Saturday.
And despite future flexibility, it’s Schroder’s ability to replace Dinwiddie and supplement Ben Simmons that will determine if they can climb into at least a play-in spot.
“It’s really important that we go out there and compete. That’s the No. 1 thing,” Marks said. “Our goal here is to play in the postseason, that’s for sure. I’m not gonna walk in that locker room and tell that group anything different.
“They’re a competitive young group, and they wanna prove to people they can do it. So hopefully, there’s continuity within the roster, and health is a No. 1 priority for every team. But over the next 32 games, that’s what we’d love to see is competing at a high level, night in and night out, and seeing who rises to the occasion.”
The Nets kept Dorian Finney-Smith, their third 30-year-old who had been on the market and also the one for whom they’d been asking the highest price.
Marks had turned down an offer of two first-round picks for Finney-Smith at last year’s deadline and they didn’t get an offer to their liking this time.
“I made it, man,” Finney-Smith told The Post. “I made it through a trade deadline. No, it’s what comes with it, man. [Shoot], it’s a part of it. Nothing we can do about it. Teams are going to do what they’ve got to do to make their team better. So I always tell people if we don’t win, our locker room may be looking different in February. So it’s always facts, and it’s been like that wherever I’ve been.”
Between not getting his desired extension in the summer and beginning the season on the bench behind Ben Simmons, Dinwiddie admitted he wasn’t part of the long-term plan.
His play deteriorated to the point he became a distressed asset.
The Nets found little market for Dinwiddie, his diminishing value shown in The Athletic reporting that Toronto plans to waive him to avoid his upcoming $1.5 million roster bonus. The former Maverick was at Dallas’ game on Thursday and is expected to sign with the Mavs.
The Nets will miss the clutch O’Neale, who hit 43.4 percent from deep in the fourth quarter.
“We look at our record and I say, look, we’d love to have a better record than we have right now,” Marks said. “We know what fits with our timetable, what we’re looking for and what we’re judging these guys on. Part of that is the moves we made at this deadline, the moves we’ll be making it the draft and then into free agency: who fits and who can be a net long term here.”
