Nets. Magic. Deron Williams. Dwight Howard. Wednesday night. Prudential Center.
“It’ll be interesting to see how the fans are gonna react. I’m sure it’ll be pretty crazy,” D-Will said after dropping 38 points on Jeremy Lin and the Knicks on Monday night at the Garden. “I kind of look forward to the game. I like playing against him, so it should be fun.”
Both D-Will and D-12’s futures are uncertain. And before “Linsanity,” trade rumors and speculation surrounding both were all the rage in the NBA.
Where will they end up? Brooklyn? Dallas? Los Angeles with the Lakers? Together? Apart?
The possibilities seem endless, and no one except the players themselves knows for sure.
The Nets appear to be in the driver’s seat. D-Will has reiterated his intent to stay -- assuming the Nets put the right pieces around him, and said Monday night he was comfortable with the direction of the organization. D-12 is the big piece. ESPN NewYork.com’s Stephen A. Smith said on Mike and Mike Tuesday morning that if the Nets can’t get D-12, then D-Will is headed to his hometown Mavericks.
Makes sense. D-Will wants to win now. He doesn’t want to be part of a rebuilding project.
The Nets are obviously in transition mode at this point, but if they were to land a dominant center like D-12 to go along with D-Will, all of a sudden they would become an instant playoff contender.
As has been discussed on this blog before, the Nets can either try to acquire D-12 by the March 15 trade deadline, or take their chances that they’ll be able to sign him to a max deal assuming he opts out and becomes a free agent -- which is basically all but a formality at this point.
The Nets obviously have a lot of assets right now, including Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks and two first-round draft picks, among other things.
If the Magic were to come with them with an offer and assurances from D-12’s camp that he’d sign, they’d have to sacrifice some of if not all of those assets. But in a perfect world, the Nets would be able to keep of all those assets, and add D-12 to the mix, becoming an instant contender in the East.
What do you think will happen to D-Will and D-12? Let us know in the comments section.