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Moving on, Nets expect two busy days

By Net Income
USA TODAY Sports

The Nets got bad news Wednesday with word that Bojan Bogdanovic will not be joining them this season and is likely to cement a long-term relationship with Fenerbahce in the coming days. But as Howard Beck writes, not signing the rookie can be considered a "minor setback" depending on what the final roster looks like.

The Nets expect to have two active days in free agency between now and Friday afternoon. They hope to formally sign Shaun Livingston and re-sign Andray Blatche Thursday and then on Friday, finally announce the big Celtics trade. No doubt, they will also be active trying to fill the void left by Bogdanovic.

Wednesday was the first day that Jason Kidd and Billy King could talk about Livingston and Blatche and both lavished praise on the 6'7" point guard who at 28 is a great NBA story. Kidd in particular spoke about Livingston's resolve in coming back after the devastating 2007 knee and leg injuries that almost resulted in amputation. No one expected him to play again. Kidd also said he and Deron Williams put in calls to Livingston.

"I’ve always respected his game, and the biggest part that I felt that he is a competitor after the injury," Kidd said.

"After a serious injury like that, guys will maybe give it one try and if it doesn’t work. ... He’s a guy that’s worked extremely hard to get back to a high level, and I wanted him on board. Billy, he did the rest. I just tried to talk him into coming, and I’m glad he decided to come."

King said he's been trying to get Livingston on his team for years, going back to his days as Sixers GM.

"I think back to when I was trying to trade Allen Iverson [when King was the GM in Philadelphia], he was the one piece I was trying to get back from the Clippers. But "I think his basketball acumen and the way he plays will fit in greatly with our backcourt."

Meanwhile, the Nets have been quiet as to their plans for filling out the roster. They are not optimistic they can get Andrei Kirilenko to sign for $10 million over three years despite the obvious Russian connection and his friendship with D-Will. Other names thrown around include Alan Anderson, who averaged 10.7 ppg with the Raptors; C.J. Miles, who played with Williams in Utah and is one of his best friends, and Nick Young, who played with Blatche and Livingston in Washington during the 2009-10 season.

And don't be surprised to hear trade rumors. King has said he could "tweak" the roster.

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