Brooklyn Nets: 3 trades team should make before deadline

3. Selling high — the Marks way

This one will probably trigger some readers. That’s fine, because not all moves are universally loved.

Forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been an intriguing young player since the Nets drafted him. His defensive versatility, playmaking and athletic slashing make him an intriguing prospect in the mold of Draymond Green.

Problem is, Brooklyn isn’t the type of team that wants to play that type of 4. The ball-handling is a plus for Atkinson’s system, but the non-shooting only works when he’s at the nominal 5.

Those Death Lineups that involve RHJ take out one of the team’s cornerstones, Jarrett Allen. Allen is already a more effective player than Hollis-Jefferson; his Win-Shares per 48 minutes nearly double RHJ’s (.157 to .081), his Player Efficiency Rating is approaching four points higher (18.6 to 14.7), and his Box Plus-Minus is 2.1 points higher (1.3 to -0.8).

Why does this matter now? Because Hollis-Jefferson is a restricted free agent at season’s end. If the team wants to keep him around as that emergency small-ball center, that’s fine, but another team will probably pay him more than the Nets are willing to pay.

Simply put, it might be sensible to get value for him now before he’s gone. He’s an odd fit in this system, so if a valuable deal presents itself, Marks probably wouldn’t hesitate to strike.

Several teams would be willing to take a flier on a young versatile forward. Rebuilding teams like the Atlanta Hawks would make sense, as they really don’t have much to lose. The Phoenix Suns traded a second round pick for Elfrid Payton, who was in the same situation as RHJ, at last year’s deadline. Hollis-Jefferson has a better track record than Payton did, so it’s feasible to get more of a return:

That’s right: Vince Carter is back. That second-rounder from the Charlotte Hornets might end up in the 30s if they don’t qualify for the playoffs, and Carter would love a swan song with his former team.