The Philadelphia 76ers have been involved in preliminary trade discussions with the Brooklyn Nets regarding Andrei Kirilenko and Sergey Karasev, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York reports:
According to sources, Nets have had preliminary talks w/ Sixers about moving Kirilenko + Karasev. In such case Sixers likely waive Kirilenko
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) November 21, 2014
In the proposed deal, Kirilenko and Karasev would move to the Sixers and create a trade exception for the Nets. The 76ers would potentially then waive Kirilenko and his $3.3 million salary. No pieces leaving Philadelphia have been reported.
Kirilenko has been very unhappy with his role with the Nets this season. He’s averaged just 5.1 minutes per game in his seven contests this season, and has scored just three points, all on free throws. He did not make the trip this weekend with the Nets to their road games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs due to personal reasons. Rumors have swirled that he could potentially make a move back to his native Russia to play professionally if this trade-and-waive situation occurred.
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Karasev is the real get here for the Sixers, another insanely young asset that Sam Hinkie would covet. Karasev was drafted 19th in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and spent most of his season last year riding the pine for the Cavs between stints with the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League. He was traded to Brooklyn in the offseason, and, like Kirilenko, has not played much this season.
However, Karasev certainly has talent. He was heralded as a lights-out shooter coming over from Russia during the pre-draft process, and he showed flashes of that last year, hitting 41.6 percent of his threes with the Charge. He’s a very inconsistent defender, but has a knack for making hustle plays, even if he’s hilariously out of position. His potential is what really must have the Sixers excited, though; he has a great frame at 6’7″, 200 lbs, and he turned 21 in late October. There’s still plenty of time for him to develop, and with Philadelphia, he’d have a chance to play for the first time in a wide-open offense that likes three-pointers, which would really help him. He also would be joining fellow Russian Alexey Shved, and the two are incredibly close from their time with the 2012 Russian National Team during the London Olympics.
The waiving of Kirilenko is predictable; he’s old, often injured, and probably doesn’t want to play for a team this bad at this point in his career. His incredibly cheap deal is also probably inconsequential to the Sixers reaching the cap floor, so this probably isn’t reason enough to keep him at a crowded position that already sees Hollis Thompson, K.J. McDaniels, and Luc Mbah a Moute get regular minutes.
If this deal happens, Karasev is the big get for the Sixers, and shedding Kirilenko is the big draw for the Nets. The deal works well for both sides, as Philly gets another young potential asset, and the Nets get a roster spot and cap breathing room. Let’s see if it happens.