Woj: Nets still looking for salary dumps

Speaking on ESPN’s “The Jump” Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski said the Nets are still interested in salary dumps ... and suggested that perhaps the Raptors could be a partner.

“The other thing Toronto is trying to do is get salary off,” said Woj, without pointing to a Nets-Raptors trade. “DeMarre Carroll is a player Toronto has talked to several teams and teams who have (cap space) We talked earlier about Phoenix being in a position to take on a contracts like Carroll's and maybe try to get an asset with it.

“Brooklyn remains in that space. They did it with Mozgov,” he added, referring to last week’s trade of Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the draft for Timofey Mozgov and D’Angelo Russell. “That's Brooklyn's way to get draft picks, to try to get young players ... take on contracts.”

Draft picks, he said, might not be the most productive route for a team willing to take on Carroll’s contract, which amounts to $30.4 million over two years. Carroll, 30, has been a disappointment since signing a $60 million deal two years ago. The 6’8” power forward averaged 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds last season, shooting 34 percent from three. He started all 72 games he played.

“Carroll's contract is big and Toronto doesn't have great draft assets, especially if they’re going to bring everybody back and want to be good. What's a pick in the mid-20's or in the late 20's to take on that money? So those are all things that teams are weighing.”

Toronto has all its own first round picks going forward and three second rounders next year. The Raptors also have a number of young players as Hashtag Basketball noted last month.

Woj also noted that Toronto isn’t yet sure what it wants to do, saying “Toronto is weighting two things, one is bringing everybody back, and making a run at it, and they're also looking at going young. They're looking at what its going to cost to keep this team together.”

It’s important to note that Woj was careful not to suggest that the Nets are actively engaged in any discussions, that it was all hypothetical... just like it was the day before the Nets traded for Russell and Mozgov.

Under Sean Marks, the Nets have taken on the contracts of Andrew Nicholson to acquire the 22nd pick in the draft, taking Jarrett Allen, as well as Mozgov.