Brooklyn Nets: Complete 2017 offseason grades

The DeMarre dump

They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. After years of filtering through complete garbage, the Nets finally found a dump worth investing in.

In a salary dump deal with the Toronto Raptors, the Nets agreed to take on the remaining two years and $30.2 million of DeMarre Carroll‘s contract thanks to a 2018 first round pick and second round pick being attached. Even better, all Brooklyn had to give up was stretch-5 Justin Hamilton, who was eventually waived and stretched by Toronto.

True enough, Carroll was pretty bad in his last two seasons with the Raptors, completely failing to be the 3-and-D difference-maker they anticipated when they first signed him. He only played in 26 games his first year there, and in his second season, his numbers plummeted to 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per game with a less than savory .400/.341/.761 shooting line.

At 31, and given his injury history, there’s a chance his most profound impact is in the locker room and as a mentor for the team’s young wings. However, even if that worst-case scenario comes to fruition, he’s only on the books for two years, and the real prize is those draft picks.

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To be fair, even in a weak Eastern Conference, Toronto’s 2018 first round pick will probably end up somewhere in the early or mid-20s, making it less valuable in a top-heavy draft. However, beggars can’t be choosers, and the Nets basically snaked an extra first- and second-rounder for the meager price of another unwanted contract.

If Carroll can stay healthy, perhaps he can bounce back from a down shooting year and match his 39 percent accuracy from downtown that he posted over the prior two seasons. After all, he’s reuniting with former Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson, so there’s familiarity there.

The Nets need 3-point shooting and wing defenders, so Carroll fills a need, even if it may come in limited minutes. Plus, you know, two free picks. Even in a draft where Brooklyn has to cough up its own first-rounder as the final bounty of that fatal Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade, it’s hard to find the downside to this deal.

Grade: A