Did the Brooklyn Nets take their gamble on Taurean Prince too early?

In the absence of Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets supporting cast has been put on a stage. But did they rush the issue with extending Taurean Prince?

It’s been a surreal transition for the Brooklyn Nets as a franchise over just, quite literally, the last three years. They’ve gone from pinning their brand to the likes of Brook Lopez or D’Angelo Russell, to now, the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

General manager Sean Marks is a basketball savant when it comes to the ins and outs of the NBA market. He’s near the Danny Ainge stature of seemingly never having lost a trade.

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And this past summer speaks the highest to that, when he signed Irving and Durant, locking in a championship-caliber duo for the next four years. For two superstars, Brooklyn had an appropriately fitting supporting cast: Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, etc.

But preemptively, Marks set out to make another addition to the Nets roster, in the likelihood they landed the two superstars come July. Brooklyn traded Allen Crabbe, the first-round draft pick that eventually became Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and a 2020 first-round pick for Taurean Prince.

Previously with the Atlanta Hawks, the 25-year old forward was deemed the final addition to what Marks hoped had become a championship roster. Fast forward seven months later, and doubt is swirling around the legitimacy of Brooklyn’s personnel.

Prince specifically, has underwhelmed for the Nets, who signed him to a two-year extension for $29-million back in October. Did Brooklyn take the right approach through this process?

The power forward is averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in his 57 appearances this season.

And he’s posting an offensive rating of 95 points per 100 possessions, which is, low to say the least. Per Basketball Reference, Prince is one of just two players averaging 12 or more points to post a 95 or lower offensive rating. The other? Rookie guard RJ Barrett.

But it hasn’t been until Irving fell out with shoulder injury, eventually season-ending surgery, that Prince has looked out of place. In the point guard’s initial stint out (a 26 game span), he put together just 12 points per game on a 35/33/85 shooting split.

Sure, Brooklyn went 13-13 over that stretch, but that’s not why they traded two first-round picks for Prince. They traded for the forward to put them over the top, not just tread water. Brooklyn was looking for additions to a championship core, and in Prince, may have not found that.

Not that he’s played bad, he’s played just fine. But the Nets shouldn’t be free-falling through the Eastern Conference, now having lost three of their last four, with this roster. Prince was the new addition, the latest commitment. And he seems far from the answer to progressing this year.

And they know it, that much is nearly apparent. It’s already being rumored that the Nets are ready to scour the market this summer for a third star to pair next to Irving and Durant. Per Tim Bontemps of ESPN, almost all of Brooklyn’s core could be available in such talks.

"“Several people mentioned the Nets could be active in trades. Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen are all names that rival executives believe to be available in some form. They could be attractive pieces for the Nets to package together to land a third star that sends them to the top of the conference. Some also wonder whether Brooklyn will spend big to keep unrestricted free agent Joe Harris this summer.”"

The last line is just where regret surrounding Prince’s extension may stem from. The Nets will have to pay Joe Harris this summer, and he won’t be cheap. With two stars on the books, DeAndre Jordan‘s contract, and having already committed to Prince, will they be able to?

It’s hard to blame the Brooklyn Nets for taking a swing on Taurean Prince. The forward offers a lot to the game, but it hasn’t translated to his new team.

But as their stars have crumbled this season, and their surrounding cast takes shape, it’s clear that Brooklyn is still a step away; if not further than that, from a shot at the championship.

For now, the Brooklyn Nets will embark on a three-game road trip, while attempting to keep their head above water as the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed. They’ll visit the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night at Phillips Arena. Tip-off is at 7:30 pm est.