What the Nets will do with the 3rd pick
This morning the Nets traded there 2008 2nd round draft pick Chris Douglas-Roberts to the Bucks for a future 2nd round draft pick. Prior to, the Nets were torn between drafting Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins. This trade opens the door for the Nets to pull the trigger and take the small forward from Syracuse- Wesley Johnson. This would give the Nets a starting lineup up of Devin Harris, Courtney Lee/Terrence Williams, Wes Johnson, and Brook Lopez. The Nets have the plans to then hope to sign a 4-man in free agency like a Chris Bosh or a Carlos Boozer. If the Nets do in fact draft Wesley Johnson with the 3rd overall selection, it may cause a huge ripple effect in the draft, throwing off
Minnesota's plans with the 4th pick and so on. Another possibility would be for the Nets to trade down one or two spots and trade with teams who still covet Favors or Cousins like the Detroit Pistons or the Sacramento Kings. The Nets are still up the air about taking a big man with the pick, however, the opportunity does not seem so great; the Nets staff thought Favors was out of shape during their workout and Cousin has documented character problems.
The Nets could be creating a smoke screen and attempting to create trade talks even further the value of the 3rd pick. When all is said and done, the Nets will most likely end up with Wesley Johnson, a small forward who can come in and contribute right away. The Nets new owner wants to win now, not build a team for the future.
The Lastest reports on the day of the draft have the Nets taking Favors with the 3rd selection in the draft. They could possibly take him and try to trade him. If they can't move him, they still get a player in Favors with sky high potential who physically measures out to be the next Dwight Howard.
By Steven Spector - 6-24-10
