The Nets defense took a huge hit when center Jarrett Allen was dealt to the Cavaliers. Now their search for a big man could bring them back to Cleveland, as they’re believed to be eyeing JaVale McGee.
Brooklyn hasn’t been able to protect the paint since trading Allen in the deal for James Harden. Its defensive rating was next-to-last in the NBA in the six games since his departure, coming into Monday’s tilt vs. Miami. And the Nets can be as confident as they want, they know an Achilles’ heel when they see one.
“There’s some truth to it,” Steve Nash said. “We traded away J.A., who was a terrific defender. But we got a historically great offensive player, so it’s something we have to learn to identify. Who are we? Where are we going, and how are we going to get there? With this group it’s so new, we’ve got to figure that out. But that’s a hole. We aren’t loaded with tons of frontcourt defenders.
“But we aren’t necessarily a defensive group with our profile and identity anyway, so we have a lot to figure out on that end of the floor. And it’s going to take time. It is a problem, but it’s a problem we have to solve. It’s a great challenge for us collectively to figure out how we can become a better defensive team.”
The first step is GM Sean Marks looking to ink Norvel Pelle. But he’s a flier with just a year of NBA experience; McGee, 33, is more of a proven commodity.
The Nets will still have two roster spots open even after the Pelle addition becomes official. The Post had reported that they’ll still look to add both rim protection and wing defense, and would be more active in the market once they were granted a Disabled Player Exception to go with their Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception.
They were awarded the MLE on Friday, deepening the pool of potential targets. League sources say McGee is one of interest, while FortyEightMinutes suggested the Nets could “make a run” at McGee and KRON4 News reported Monday that they’ve already had talks with Cleveland over the 7-foot, 270-pounder.
That report also mentioned Kevin Love as a potential Net target, with the Cavs looking to flip centers into assets. But the league personnel with whom The Post spoke found that a much less likely move, considering Love is mediocre defensively and making $91.5 million combined over this season and the next two.
McGee, on the other hand, is more of a fit.
“If roster composition changes for the better defensively, that’s great,” Nash said earlier. “But I don’t think we can rely on that because that may not be possible. It’s not like they’re just falling off trees for us to pick up, guys that are going to change our defense.”
But Brooklyn’s defense needs changing.
Granted, McGee is a third-stringer behind Allen and Andre Drummond, having logged just 15 minutes since Allen’s arrival. And The Ringer even suggested that the Nets are eyeing Drummond in the unlikely event he gets bought out by the April deadline. (One of their two roster spots must be filled by Jan. 30).
But while McGee is more expendable for the Cavs, he’d be a defensive upgrade over Reggie Perry (a raw second-round rookie) and a much bigger alternative to natural stretch-four Jeff Green (just 6-8, 235). Nic Claxton is still out with an injury.
McGee is a solid defender who earned three rings with the Warriors and the Lakers, and played alongside Kevin Durant in Golden State. He also makes just $4.2 million and could easily be absorbed right into the DPE, which is $5.7 million.
Coming into Monday, McGee is averaging 8.2 points and 6.2 boards in just 16.8 minutes. And while his shooting percentage has dipped to a career-low 44.7 percent, with Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving the Nets need interior defense, not scoring.
Whether it comes from McGee, Drummond, Pelle or elsewhere, it’s obvious their hunt for more big men is still ongoing.