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The Brooklyn Nets have a problem in forward Andrei Kirilenko, and Philadelphia may step in to solve it. The former Utah Jazz superstar has apparently fallen out of favor with head coach Lionel Hollins, that according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post:
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.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York made the connection to the Sixers, and named 2013 1st round pick Sergey Karasev as the pot sweetener.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>According to sources, Nets have had preliminary talks w/ Sixers about moving Kirilenko + Karasev. In such case Sixers likely waive Kirilenko</p>— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) <a href="https://twitter.com/NotoriousOHM/status/535895370224898048">November 21, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>If the Nets and Sixers were to make a deal involving Kirilenko + Karasev, Nets likely would seek and get a trade exception in return</p>— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) <a href="https://twitter.com/NotoriousOHM/status/535904265399975937">November 21, 2014</a></blockquote>
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It's no surprise teams continue to come to Philadelphia, as all their cap space makes them a pretty easy trade partner. Karasev, however, is a little nicer than the second rounder Sam Hinkie is used to acquiring in salary dumps. The 19th overall pick in last year's draft, Karasev has played sparingly throughout his two-year NBA career. He's got good range and can score from the outside, but his shot has little consistency. He's shooting 33.3% from the floor and 20% from beyond the arc in 26 career games. However, he's averaged just 6.5 minutes per game in his young career, and playing in Philadelphia could give him the ample playing time to work on his game.
As Bontemps stated, a Kirilenko deal is unlikely to happen until after December 15th, if at all, so expect these rumors to linger over the coming weeks.