Dion Waiters and Lance Stephenson (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Brooklyn Nets could sign Dion Waiters and Lance Stephenson as backup to the failed signing of Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe.
The Nets find themselves scrambling for backcourt pieces after the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers respectively matched the offer sheet Brooklyn gave to restricted free agents Johnson and Crabbe. The Nets offered Johnson and Crabbe both four-year multi-million deals, but the Heat and Blazers are not ready to give up their young talent to Brooklyn.
With the market already dried up of top free agents, the Nets are left without much option to add backcourt pieces they could pair with Jeremy Lin. But two intriguing targets the Nets may consider is Dion Waiters and Lance Stephenson, who have yet to sign a contract this summer.
According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets may consider offering Waiters a contract, but the team would likely evaluate the situation in the next few days.
"For the Nets, one possibility on the market could be a run at Oklahoma City Thunder restricted free-agent guard Dion Waiters, league sources said. The Nets have given some consideration to an offer, but will likely evaluate that in the next few days, league sources said," Wojnarowski wrote.
David Aldridge of NBA.com also believes Waiters could be an option for the Nets, especially after the Heat retained Johnson.
Many around the league thought Miami might look at OKC’s Dion Waiters, an RFA. No longer an option after matching Tyler Johnson sheet. Nets?
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 11, 2016
Last season, Waiters only averaged a career-low 9.8 points, while playing 27.6 minutes per game for the Thunder. But while Waiters has a reputation of being inconsistent, the Nets could still use him to start alongside Lin and fill in as the team's starting shooting guard.
However, the fact that Waiters is a restricted free agent may force the Nets to step away from any potential signing. The Nets could offer Waiters the same amount of deal they offered Johnson and Crabbe, but the Thunder are likely matching any offer sheet for Waiters to keep their Durant-less core intact.
According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, another option for the Nets is Lance Stephenson, who became available after the Memphis Grizzlies declined his $9.4 million team option.
After his remarkable stint in his final season with the Indiana Pacers, Stephenson joined the Charlotte Hornets before getting traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he became less relevant, averaging only 4.7 points and 2.5 rebounds off the bench. He was then moved to Memphis, where Stephenson revived his career, posting averages of 14.2 points, while playing 26.6 minutes for the Grizzlies.
Stephenson is only 25 and has a lot to offer the Nets, especially if he could regain his form during his days playing for the Pacers. Stephenson, a Brooklyn native, could be worth the gamble for the Nets, considering the minimal options they have to fill their roster with proven talents.
Surely, the Nets need all the help they can get as they attempt to rise as contenders in the league next season. Waiters and Stephenson may not be an ideal long-term prospect for the Nets, but would be an intriguing addition to a rebuilding team.
