Brooklyn Nets: Complete 2017 offseason grades

Hitting the Marks with the Russell trade

Here’s a testament to how crazy this summer was: There was so much player movement over the last few months, the Nets finally moving Brook Lopez was little more than a footnote.

In any case, with the Los Angeles Lakers foaming at the mouth thinking about 2018 free agency, Marks was able to capitalize on their need to unload Timofey Mozgov. Though it meant the departure of one of the greatest Nets of all time in Lopez, Brooklyn got its hands on a possible franchise point guard for the ongoing rebuild.

For the meager prize of Lopez’s expiring contract and the No. 27 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Nets welcomed D’Angelo Russell and Mozgov into the fold. Mozzy’s contract is an albatross, with a whopping three years and $48 million remaining, but Brooklyn can’t be picky. That’s the price of acquiring talent when you have very little of it and no draft picks to build for the future.

To that end, snagging a misunderstood and cast-out piece like Russell was well worth absorbing Mozgov’s massive salary.

Russell averaged 15.6 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game on 35.2 percent shooting from 3-point range last year, and we should point out that was only his second season. As a 21-year-old combo guard, he has plenty of potential within Kenny Atkinson’s system.

Jeremy Lin supporters might not be thrilled about this acquisition, but the two could very well play alongside each other. Conversely, if Lin struggles with injury problems again, the Nets could let Russell flourish in the lead guard role.

The Lakers appear to have done well with their No. 27 pick, turning it into Kyle Kuzma, but this was a no-brainer move for Brooklyn. Lopez’s departure felt imminent for the last few years, and the Nets did him a solid by allowing him to play out the final year of his contract in sunny L.A.

Meanwhile, the Nets may have finally snagged a franchise player and cornerstone for their rebuild, at the mere price of a late first-rounder and taking on Mozgov’s ugly contract during a period in which they won’t need the cap space anyway.

Sean really hit the Marks on this one.

Grade: A