Tag: Dzanan Musa

Notable NBA veterans who are eligible for 2021 G League Draft

When the upcoming NBA G League season tips off next months, fans can expect to see more familiar faces than they would in a typical year.

When the upcoming NBA G League season tips off next months, fans can expect to see more familiar faces than they would in a typical year.

The NBA G League is hosting a bubble tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex in Florida. Once teams are assembled, they will arrive to the location by January 26 for physicals and onboarding. The first game is set for February 8 and teams are expected to play a “12-to-15 game schedule” before their single-elimination playoffs from March 5-March 9.

This offseason, per ESPN, the league also eliminated restrictions for signing players with at least five years of NBA experience. For example, as reported by Adam Johnson, this is how Jeremy Lin was able to sign outright with the Santa Cruz Warriors rather than enter the draft pool. This is reportedly a one-time exception for the G League.

Similarly, others with NBA experience signed outright as veteran mentors for the inaugural G League Ignite squad. Players like Amir Johnson and Bobby Brown will lend a hand for top prospects like Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green as they transition to the pros.

Otherwise, however, players not already on a roster who are looking to get back on the court and play in the upcoming bubble season will have to hear their names called on Monday. Over the last few days, we have learned about several players (e.g. Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson) who recently signed NBA G League Standard Player Contracts.

Even those who have been around the league for years have no guarantee of being selected, though. There are only 17 teams playing in the bubble, as 12 have opted out.

While the draft will have a maximum of 26 players selected, teams are allowed to forfeit their picks, so that number could end up even smaller. But that has not swayed the nearly 200 players who are hopeful about suiting up in Florida.

The 2021 G League Draft is scheduled for Monday, January 11, at 1:15 PM EST. Below are some of the most notable candidates, listed in order of how many minutes they have played in the NBA:

Jaylen Hands sent to Pistons with Dzanan Musa in deal delivering Nets Landry Shamet, Bruce Brown

After spending all of 2019-20 with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, Jaylen Hands is on his way to Detroit.

The Brooklyn Nets made the Landry Shamet trade officially on Thursday, and it turns out the three-team trade that was agreed upon with the Los Angeles Clippers and Detroit Pistons was even bigger than initially expected.

The Dzanan Musa for Bruce Brown trade between the Nets and Pistons was also part of this deal. Along with the Saddiq Bey — the No. 19 pick in this year’s draft — Jaylen Hands is on his way to Detroit as part of the deal.

Brooklyn also gave the Pistons the draft rights to Jay Scrubb, the No. 55 pick in this year’s draft, as well as Toronto’s 2021 second-round pick.

In addition to Shamet, the Nets acquired the No. 57 pick in this year’s draft, Reggie Perry, from the Clippers.

The Clippers acquired forward Luke Kennard, center Justin Patton, Portland’s 2023 second round draft pick and Detroit’s second round draft picks in 2024, 2025 and 2026 in the deal.

Los Angeles also delivered Rodney McGruder and cash considerations to the Pistons.

Report: Nets trading Dzanan Musa, 2021 pick to Pistons for Bruce Brown

Dzanan Musa’s days with the Brooklyn Nets appear to be at an end, with the franchise moving him in exchange for another 2018 draft pick.

Back in 2018, the Brooklyn Nets took Dzanan Musa in the first round of the NBA draft with the No. 29 pick. After two years with the organization, it appears the 6-foot-9 Bosnian wing’s time in Brooklyn has come to an end.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets are sending Musa to Detroit, along with Toronto’s second-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft, in exchange for combo guard Bruce Brown — who the Pistons selected in the same draft the Nets took Musa, but with the 42nd overall pick (No. 12 in the second round).

In his two years with the Nets, the 21-year-old Musa appeared in 54 games at the NBA level (five postseason games) and in 48 games for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets — averaging 19.5 points and 6.9 per game for the latter.

Brown only spent two games in the G League as a rookie, starting in 99 of the 132 games in which he’s played for Detroit the past two seasons. The guard shot 34.4% from deep last season after shooting 25.8% from three as a rookie.

In his sophomore campaign, Brown also averaged 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game while playing 28.2 minutes a night.

Why Nets are likely suitor for Victor Oladipo if Pacers look to make a move

Victor Oladipo would certainly provide Brooklyn with a third star if the Nets feel they don’t already have one.

If the Brooklyn Nets were to make a move for a third star, they’d almost certainly have to include either Caris LeVert or Spencer Dinwiddie in the deal, if not both of them. Though, Kevin Durant has expressed that LeVert is a good third option for the Nets, and Brooklyn’s superstar forward also feels the era of the Big 3 has come to an end.

Still, when discussing potential offseason trades on ESPN’s “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast, Brooklyn was the first team Tim Bontemps mentioned while discussing a possible landing spot for Victor Oladipo — should the Indiana Pacers want to move the guard:

“I think the most likely trade on the board would be that he goes to Brooklyn for Caris LeVert and say one of the young guys — either Dzanan Musa or Nic Claxton or one of those guys. Deal basically matches up money-wise. The Pacers get a younger guy under team control for a while, who’s cheaper even though he’s not a lot younger.

“The Nets are clearly going to be aggressive going into this offseason to try to add talent KD and Kyrie [Irving], and I think making a run at Oladipo, to me, makes a lot of sense for them.”

While it was noted this deal — and all the others they brought up on the podcast — has not been discussed between the two teams, Windhorst said Bontemps’ proposed trades “have been discussed with people in the league — in other words, we went to executives and agents and talked to them about them — but they are not actual conversations.”

Report: Nets interested in Jrue Holiday, trade has been discussed

The Brooklyn Nets may be looking to bolster their defense by adding a certain New Orleans Pelicans guard.

Kevin Durant has a high opinion of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday.

Known for his defensive prowess, Holiday “is solidified as probably the best defender in the league at the guard position,” in Durant’s opinion — which he recently expressed on JJ Redick’s The Old Man & the Three podcast.

So when Holiday didn’t make either the First or Second NBA All-Defensive Teams, Durant had something to say:

When we talk about defense, a lot of people don’t really understand what defense really means. For different positions, especially at point guard, the stuff you have to do to guard, they don’t get a lot of credit for fighting over screens especially now they getting screened at half court, guys are running off of pindowns.

Not only did Holiday not even make the second team, he wasn’t even the last guard out. He trailed Chicago’s Kris Dunn and Toronto’s Kyle Lowry in the guard voting.

“You put Jrue in any system, any coach is going to ask him to guard the best player,” Durant said on Redick’s show (via Jacob Rude of USA Today SMG’s Lonzo Wire). We played them in 2018, second round and he guarded me the whole series. He was picking me up full court, he was guarding me in the post. Actually, it was tough to dribble on Jrue Holiday. He slides his feet so well, he’s got good hands, he’s strong, he’s got good instincts. I gained a lot of respect for him in that series because he went from guarding me to Klay (Thompson) to Steph (Curry) to guarding Draymond (Green), neutralizing picks and rolls. He’s special. He’s special on that side of the ball.”

Given Durant’s opinion of the veteran guard, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Nets superstar wanted to play alongside Holiday.

According to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Heavy.com, Brooklyn is “interested” in Holiday:

Players & picks have been discussed. Have heard that Nets offer is [Spencer] Dinwiddie/[Jarrett] Allen/[Dzanan] Musa and a protected future 1st. … nothing can be done before the Bubble ends and a trade window opens.

Without question, adding Holiday would make Brooklyn tougher on the defensive end — even if Allen is part of the deal.

Jeremiah Martin among Nets to set a career-high vs. Magic

Dzanan Musa and Chris Chiozza both set career-highs in the Nets’ win over the Orlando Magic, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot tied one of his.

With Caris LeVert, Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen, Garrett Temple and Jamal Crawford all unavailable for the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, Jacque Vaughn needed players who don’t normally receive a ton of minutes to step up against the Magic — and they did.

Not only did Brooklyn win 108-96, but multiple Nets also set career highs in their win over the Magic, which also happened to be their only win over Orlando in four tries this season.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was the first to set a career-high in the win. He scored 17 of his 24 points in the first quarter. That’s the most he’s ever scored in the opening quarter of a game, and he tied his career-high for points in any quarter (he also scored 17 in the fourth quarter against the Magic on July 31.)

Jeremiah Martin tied Luwawu-Cabarrot’s overall output, finishing with 24 points, as well. With that, the rookie set a new NBA career-high in points, breaking the personal record he set against the Celtics on August 5 (20 points).

Dzanan Musa set two career-highs in the win with his 17 points and six assists. His previous career-high in points (14) came against the Dallas Mavericks in January of 2019 — this is also the first time Musa has cracked double-digits this season. Musa’s previous career-high in assists (five) came in November of 2018 against the Chicago Bulls.

Chris Chiozza also set a record for steals in a game with four. He’d previously logged two steals in a single contest on four separate occasions.

Nets finally get best of Magic; Chris Chiozza exits early with injury

Jeremiah Martin and Dzanan Musa both had big days in the Brooklyn Nets’ win over the Orlando Magic.

Once again, the Brooklyn Nets were without Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen — along with Garrett Temple and Jamal Crawford, on top of the other vital pieces not with the team in the Disney bubble — and, once again, Jacque Vaughn and company pulled off a win against an Eastern Conference playoff team.

After losing to the Orlando Magic in their first three 2019-20 meetings, the Nets finally got the better of the East’s No. 8 seed on Tuesday, earning their fourth Disney bubble win, 108-96.

Timothe Luwawu-Carbarrot was once again the team leader in scoring with 24 points, tying Jeremiah Martin’s output as the rookie logged the second 20-point game of his NBA career.

Dzanan Musa (17 points), Tyler Johnson (14), Lance Thomas (12) and Donta Hall (10) each finished in double figures, as well. Musa also had six boards and six assists.

Chris Chiozza was a pest on defense, finishing with four steals before leaving the game due to right adductor tightness.

The Nets are back in action on Thursday at 9 p.m. against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jarrett Allen, Dzanan Musa recreate famous moment from ‘Titanic’

Rodions Kurucs caught two of his Brooklyn Nets teammates reenacting a movie moment, so he threw the perfect song behind it.

Games haven’t started yet, but there’s already plenty of nonsense going on in the NBA’s bubble at Disney world. Players have been all over social media, sharing their thoughts on accommodations and food.

Quite a few haven’t been happy about their setup.

But social media hasn’t been limited to players complaining about their situation in Florida.

The Brooklyn Nets released a poll on Twitter on Monday, asking fans to decide on a new nickname for Joe Harris. The options were either “Headband Harris” or “Joey Headband.” The winner was “Joey Headband,”even though Jarrett Allen thought “Headband Harris” was the right fit.

Allen appeared in another bizarre bit of content from the Disney bubble recently.

Rodions Kurucs caught Allen and Dzanan Musa recreating a portion of the moment from the 1997 hit movie “Titanic,” where Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) stood behind Rose DeWitt Butawker (Kate Winslett) at the very front of the ship.

After getting the quick moment on video, Kurucs threw Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On — the song most associated with “Titanic” — behind the video.

Not sure anyone else in the bubble will be able to top that.

Depleted numbers presents Nets’ bench with major opportunities

With the Nets down seven players, Brooklyn will need help from some who had limited opportunities before the NBA’s hiatus.

No team is experiencing what the Brooklyn Nets are heading into the NBA’s restart at Disney World. To not have Kevin Durant (right Achilles) and Kyrie Irving (right shoulder) is one thing, but then take away the team’s 2019-20 leading scorer (Spencer Dinwiddie) and four more players? It’s truly unbelievable.

But, as much as things will be challenging for the Nets in the short term — particularly for Jacque Vaughn as he tries to earn the full-time head coaching gig — this also presents players with opportunity.

Of course, more will be expected of Jarrett Allen — regardless of whether or not the team gets another big — Joe Harris, Garrett Temple and, especially, Caris LeVert.

After those four, the only other Net heading down to Disney that received regular minutes before the hiatus was Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Even then, he only averaged 17.2 minutes a night throughout the 39 games in which he played.

Tyler Johnson is walking into a situation where he will likely be asked to do far more than he’s used to.

Then there’s Chris Chiozza, Rodions Kurucs, Dzanan Musa, who all have something to prove going into this.

“I think this is important for me, and it’s a chance for me to continue to prove myself,” Chris Chiozza recently told reporters on a Zoom call, per Christian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “Being a free agent coming up, hopefully prove myself enough to stay here or see what happens in the offseason.”

The same goes for Justin Anderson, Jeremiah Martin and whoever Brooklyn can sign as replacement players.

This is the time for those who had smaller roles on the Nets in 2019-20. They’re not expected to go win a title. Outlasting the Washington Wizards — who are down Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans — needs to be the goal.

And for guys like Chiozza, Musa, Kurucs and even Luwawu-Cabarrot, there won’t be a better opportunity to prove they belong in Brooklyn when Durant and Irving return — which is when the real fun begins.

RELATED: Why the Orlando restart could be a turning point for Caris LeVert

Dzanan Musa ‘ready for whatever’ Nets need from him

Dzanan Musa stayed in Brooklyn during the NBA’s hiatus and learned a lot about social justice from one of his Nets teammates.

When the NBA went on hiatus due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, some of the league’s international players elected to go back to their home countries. The Nets’ Rodions Kurucs was among those to do so. Dzanan Musa, however, was not.

Instead of heading back to Bosnia, Musa remained in Brooklyn throughout the pandemic.

The Nets wing decided to take this time to improve his game and prepare himself for whenever play resumed, he told reporters on a Zoom call on Monday.

With the Nets roster depleted, Musa could earn minutes when the NBA restarts later in July. And he wants the team to know he’s prepared for whatever is required of him, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post:

I tried to gain weight, trying to get stronger at home. Then when the practice facility opened I was first in the gym on trying to get [Nets head coach] Jacque [Vaughn’s] attention to get him to know that I’m ready for whatever.

But that’s not all Musa has done during the hiatus.

He’s learned a lot about what else has gone on in the United States amidst the pandemic — specifically about the Black Lives Matter movement. Musa told reporters Garrett Temple has informed him about the social justice issues, adding:

To see that brutality happen it hurts my heart a lot. I’m with Black Lives Matter all day. I’m going to change my jersey in Orlando to be Equality & Peace, some kind of message to that policy.