Among Eastern Conference contenders, Nets made biggest --and most-- moves

Mike Mazzeo takes a look at what each of the Eastern Conference contenders has done in the off-season. It's no surprise that the Nets made the biggest moves in the East this summer but they've also had the biggest turnover.

The Nets have added six new players and re-upped one while trading five players and losing one in free agency. The Heat, in comparison, have remained steady, amnestying Mike Miller and re-signing Chris Andersen. Only the Knicks came close, signing Metta World Peace, trading for Andrea Bargnani, re-signing J.R. Smith and Pablo Prigioni, but losing Chris Copeland, Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, James White ... and Jason Kidd. They still have two more openings to fill.

The Nets moves have had the biggest net effect (pun intended). The five veterans the Nets have brought in -- Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Andrei Kirilenko, Jason Terry and Shaun Livingston -- averaged 62.5 points per game. Add a re-signed Andray Blatche and the number jumps to 72.8. By comparison, the six players they traded away or lost to free agency -- Gerald Wallace, C.J. Watson, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans and Kris Joseph -- averaged 30.4.

None of the other contenders have made such drastic moves. The question is whether the Nets' improvements will be offset by chemistry issues. On Thursday, Garnett and Pierce said there's only one way to deal with that during the off-season: constant communication.

• Offseason recap: Keepin' up with Brooklyn? - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York