The Nets are reportedly trying to deal Andrei Kirilenko, rather than buy him out or waive him. So far, there's only been one proposal reported. Ohm Youngmisuk wrote Friday that the Nets are Sixers have had "preliminary talks" about a deal that would send AK-47 and fellow Russian, Sergey Karasev, to the 76ers, with the Nets getting little more than a $5 million trade exception in return.
Since then, there's been little reporting on the talks progress. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News tweeted later Friday about mixed signals he was getting on the proposal, with one source telling him "there may not be much to a possible Sixers-Nets deal " Comcast Sports Net in Philadelphia reported on Saturday that the Sixers would also "likely" seek a draft pick, not further described, from the Nets in what would be a salary dump.
Then, on Sunday, Dei Lynam of CSN wrote there was "little progress" in the Sixers talks and noted that Karasev is seen as an "NBA talent" who's more likely to require a first round pick that be included in a salary dump. adding, "It seems unlikely Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie would trade such assets for a guy spending his time watching games, not playing them."
Also on Sunday, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported that "the Cavaliers are monitoring Andrei Kirilenko's state of affairs in Brooklyn ... though it's more due diligence at this point than anything else." Would the Cavs be willing to make an offer to Brooklyn for Kirilenko?
And is a salary dump the best the Nets can do? There are hints out there that the market for Kirilenko may be broader than reported, both in terms of teams interested and what the Nets could get in return. While the 76ers might be asking for Karasev and a draft pick to sweeten a salary dump, that doesn't mean they'll get either. Or that they're the only team interested in the veteran Kirilenko.
Moreover, Russian ownership is particularly high on Karasev, and while Kirilenko didn't travel with the team to OKC and San Antonio, Karasev did and was active in San Antonio. He even played a couple of minutes vs. the Spurs. Normally, if a player is being traded, he's either showcased or kept on the bench to avoid injury. Neither happened
Also, the Nets are looking for additional draft picks and are highly unlikely to give one up, particularly a first rounder. They have their own first round picks in 2015 and 2017, but both can be swapped to other teams --the 2015 to Boston, the 2017 to Atlanta-- making them less attractive. They have their 2019 or 2020 first rounders but they're years away.
The Nets would like to add to their stockpile of second rounders as well. They have their own second round pick in 2015, a heavily protected second rounder in 2016 and their own second rounders in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
They also have three players whose contracts are not fully guaranteed and could be used as trade ballast. They won't be guaranteed until January 5, which means they can be cut with limited exposure. One of the three, Jerome Jordan, is now part of the rotation. Cory Jefferson makes $507,000 but only has a $75,000 guarantee. Jorge Gutierrez makes $816,000 but guaranteed only $25,000. Similarly, they have two trade exceptions available, one worth $841,000 for trade purposes, the other $1.22 million.
Bottom line: If the Nets want to dump AK-47 on another team and save more than $10 million in luxury taxes, they'll have to give something up. That's NOT their preference. Also, the Nets could simply wait three weeks until league rules permit teams to trade rookies and free agents signed in the off-season. There will be more options available after December 15.
The other possibility is that he is waived and signs either in the NBA or overseas. His wife said recently she'd like to see him finish his career with CSKA Moscow, where he started out. In either case, whatever salary he gets will be deducted from what the Nets owe him.
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Little progress with Sixers-Nets reported trade talks - Dei Lynam - Comcast Sports Net