Since July 2004, the Nets' brain trust has been involved in a series of deals that have all been the result of two of the most unpopular trades in team history: sending Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles away for draft picks. Some of those deals were a direct result, some indirect, of those trades. Determining which deals should be included in an analysis of what has become essentially a two-year trade is obviously subjective. Also, the Nets would have almost certainly chosen players other than those selected with the picks they traded away. All that said, here is our analysis of what was gained and what was lost since...in effect, how Kenyon Martin became Marcus Williams.
Nets Acquire:
Eddie Gill [released] from Portland, Vince Carter from Toronto; Elden Campbell [released] from Utah; Cliff Robinson from Golden State; Boki Nachbar from New Orleans; two TE's worth $2.05 million and $719,000; and Marcus Williams...plus $6 million in cash--$3 million each from Portland and Philadelphia.
Nets Lose:
Kenyon Martin to Denver; Kerry Kittles to LA Clippers; Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, Alonzo Mourning [released] to Toronto; Viktor Khryapa to Portland; Chris Taft to Golden State [pick from Kittles trade for Robinson]; Marc Jackson and Linton Johnson to New Orleans; and Stephen Lasme to Golden State [pick from trade for Robinson]...plus $1.5 million in cash to LA Clippers.
The Nets also saved money--a LOT of money--off their salary cap in the process. By not matching Denver's $90 plus million deal for Martin and trading away Kittles' $10.4 million contract, the Nets saved $100 million over seven years. Sending away the $17.3 million remaining on Mourning's contract and the $11.6 million left on Eric Williams deal didn't hurt either. Even picking up Carter's contract, with its $56.9 million remaining, Robinson's with $5.2 million or Nachbar's $7.5 million deal didn't come close to evening the balance sheet.
Conservatively, the Nets saved $50 million in salary commitments long term...or almost enough to extend Carter.
Notes:
1. The three first-round draft picks obtained by the Nets in Martin trade: the two sent to Toronto in the Carter trade became Joey Graham [Toronto] in 2005 and Renaldo Balkman [New York] in 2006; the one retained by the Nets became Marcus Williams in 2006.
2. The 2005 second-round draft choice obtained by the Nets in the Kittles trade: sent to Golden State in the Robinson trade where it became Chris Taft. Taft has since been released and is a free agent.
3. The two trade exceptions obtained in the Martin [$5.2 million] and Kittles [$10.4 million] trades became Elden Campbell [Martin TE] and Cliff Robinson and Marc Jackson [Kittles TE].
4. The second round picks given up by the Nets were traded to Golden State [two picks, the Clippers' 2005 pick, which became Chris Taft, and the Nets' 2007 pick, which became Stephen Lasme, for Robinson]. The Nets also gave up a pick to Seattle [the Nets' 2009 pick] for Moore.
5. The two trade exceptions obtained in the Nachbar/Jackson & Johnson trade [$2.05 million and $719,000] expire at the trade deadline in 2007.
6. The $3 million in cash obtained from Portland came in return for the Nets' first round pick in 2004, which became Viktor Khryapa; the $3 million in cash obtained from Philadelphia came with Jackson in return for the one-time right to swap second round picks in 2006, a right that went unexercised; the $1.5 million in cash sent to LA Clippers was sent with Kittles in return for the Clippers second round pick in 2005 [see note 2]. The Nets net $4.5 million.