The Nets are getting younger.
With the departure of Cliff Robinson, Mikki Moore and Eddie House--all of whom will be 30+ this season--and the addition of Sean Williams, Jamaal Magloire and Robert Hite--none of whom will be 30+, the team has moved up to 13th youngest on the NBA average age list. The roster average is now 25.5 years old, tied with both the Jazz and the Knicks.
Indeed, of the 14 players on the roster currently, ten are 27 or younger and seven are 24 or younger: Nenad Krstic, Antoine Wright, Hite, Mile Ilic, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams and Sean Williams. The last two are the second and third youngest players to suit up for the Nets in the last quarter century. Marcus is 21, while Sean is 20. Only two Nets, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter, are over 30. Of course, should the Nets sign 39-year-old Darrell Armstrong, as has been rumored, they would vault up a few positions.
The list is derived from ESPN's average age stats, which is updated on team roster pages.
The league's youngest roster is no surprise. The Trailblazers have dumped a lot of older players the last two years, replacing them with draft choices. Second youngest is a bit of a surprise in that it confirms that the Lakers are, as Kobe Bryant contends, rebuilding. After all, Los Angeles had two teenagers in their rotation a big part of the season: Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar.
The league's oldest rosters are those that competed for last season's NBA title: the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Here's the list:
1. POR 23.0
2. LAL 23.2
3. GSW 23.7
4. PHL 24.3
5. WAS 24.4
6. SEA 24.6
7. CHA 24.9
8. ATL 25.0
9. MIL 25.0
10. MEM 25.1
11. CHI 25.2
12. NOK 25.3
13. NJN 25.5
14. NYK 25.5
15. UTH 25.5
16. TOR 25.7
17. MIN 25.8
18. BOS 25.9
19. HOU 26.2
20. SAC 26.2
21. IND 26.3
22. DAL 26.4
23. DET 26.4
24. LAC 26.5
25. ORL 25.7
26. DEN 27.1
27. MIA 27.1
28. PHX 28.0
29. CLE 28.6
30. SAS 29.2