Brooklyn had a chance to bring Jaylen Brown in from Boston, but the Nets decided to walk away.
According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the Celtics reached out to the Nets on a possible Brown deal and Brown was open to landing in Brooklyn. Still, the Nets never seriously engaged. Even with reports that Michael Porter Jr., Day’Ron Sharpe and draft assets were part of the discussion around a potential Brown move, Brooklyn opted not to pursue him.
The hesitation was tied to concern inside the organization that Brown could turn into a distraction, with the team remembering the problems it dealt with during Kyrie Irving’s time in Brooklyn. Brown and Irving are close friends.
As one source told Lewis, “They weren’t lowballing,” a source told Lewis. “They just shut it down altogether.
They just said, ‘We’re not interested.’”
There was also a short-term setback for Brooklyn on Tuesday night. Guard Egor Demin exited the Nets’ overtime loss to Boston early because of a right leg contusion. Before leaving, he finished with two points and two assists in 10 minutes.
Across town, the Knicks will be without assistant coach Chris Jent for an undisclosed stretch because of personal reasons, according to the New York Post’s Jared Schwartz and Stefan Bondy. Jent, the associate head coach who handles the offense under Mike Brown, has missed the last three games, including Tuesday’s win over the Pistons.
Assistant T.J. Saint has been taking his spot on the front of the bench.
And in a major business shift, the Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers have officially been divided into two separately publicly traded companies by MSG Sports, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov reports. James Dolan remains the CEO and executive chairman of both franchises.
The Knicks and the G League’s Westchester Knicks now sit under MSG Knickerbockers Corp., while the Rangers, the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and the MSG training facility are part of MSG Rangers Corp. Knicks shares are being sold for about $300 each.
In Other News...
Jayson Tatum Just Delivered A Celtics Reminder In Crunch Time
Jayson Tatum spent overtime reminding the Nets why Boston still leans on him when the game tightens up. He logged 42 minutes, poured in 40 points on 50% shooting, handed out eight assists without a turnover, and added five rebounds and a block in a 125-124 Celtics win that felt as razor-thin as the final margin.
The performance also fit a bigger Celtics backdrop, with Tatum setting several franchise marks tied to scoring, assists and efficiency in the same night. Even in a one-point game, Boston got the sort of all-around control it wants from its best player, while Paul George also carved out a place in the record book with a Celtics steals mark of his own. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rotation Tweak Hit An Early Scare In Loss To Boston
The Nets latest look in the backcourt got a brief test against Boston, and it was interrupted before it could really settle in. Egor Dmin was making an early exit from the game after taking a knee from Paul George and suffering a right-leg contusion, a hit that forced Brooklyn to adjust on the fly while trying to sort out a new starting combination. The game itself still went deep, but the rotation wrinkle added another layer to a night the Nets would rather have done without.
Dmin downplayed the injury afterward and sounded optimistic about getting back soon, though the team has not put any kind of return date on him. For Brooklyn, the larger concern is not just the lost minutes in one overtime defeat, but what happens if the new backcourt arrangement has to keep changing before it gets a real chance to breathe. [Read more 🡒]
Nets May Have Avoided A Bigger Egor Demin Scare
Egor Demins night ended early in Brooklyns overtime loss to Boston, but the early read on the injury sounded more encouraging than the immediate reaction might have suggested. The Nets guard was forced out with a right leg contusion after bumping legs and did not return, adding another uneasy moment to a game that already slipped away late.
Demin said afterward that the issue is not serious and expects to be ready in a few days, though there was still some uncertainty about whether he would need imaging or be available for the next game. Brooklyn will keep an eye on his recovery with Detroit coming up, and after a loss like this, the bigger concern may be simply getting one of its young guards back on the floor quickly. [Read more 🡒]