NBA Trade Window: 3 Players the Brooklyn Nets need to trade

Over the last few years, the Brooklyn Nets have struggled to be a competitive force in the NBA. The Nets have failed to make the NBA postseason since 2015, and the team has also failed to win more than 30 games in each of the last three campaigns.

Despite this, the Nets have been building for a brighter future by acquiring a number of talented young players, and the organisation entered the 18/19 season with the belief that they could challenge for a playoff spot in a weak Eastern Conference.

The Nets have managed lived up to the expectations, as a record of 21-23 is currently enough for 7th place in the East standings. The Nets have been impressive recently, and December was an excellent month for the Brooklyn franchise. The team beat both the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors, and if the Nets are able to sustain their current form, then the franchise look more than likely to reach the postseason.

Nevertheless, the roster still has a number of players that could be moved on, and here we will look at three players that the Nets should trade away.

#3 Jared Dudley

Back in the 2018 off-season, the Nets acquired Jared Dudley and a protected second-round draft pick in exchange for Darrell Arthur, although Dudley was coming off the worst season of his career. Last year with the Phoenix Suns, the veteran averaged just 3.2 points per game, and shot under .400 from the field.

Despite this, Dudley found a regular starting spot in the Nets team during the early stages of the season, although his production has continued to be underwhelming. The 33-year-old is averaging just 5.0 points per game in 22.0 minutes of action, and Dudley is currently shooting his worst percentage from beyond the arc since his rookie year. Ultimately, the Nets would be better suited in trading Dudley for a fellow veteran who can offer more on the offensive end.

#2 DeMarre Carroll

DeMarre Carroll was selected as the 27th overall pick during the 2009 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, and he has since gone on to represent the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors. Carroll joined the Nets in 2017 after being traded alongside two draft picks in exchange for Justin Hamilton.

Carroll has performed well in Brooklyn, and so far this season, the Nets man is averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Despite this, Carroll has yet to start a game for Brooklyn, and it is the first time for more than half a decade that Carroll is not a regular starter.

The 32-year-old also doesn't fit in the Nets vision for youth, and he will become a free agent this summer. Ultimately, the small forward is not instrumental to the team's playoff push, and the team should ship him on the trade market this month.

#1 Allen Crabbe

Allen Crabbe joined the Brooklyn Nets back in 2017, as part of a deal that took Andrew Nicholson to the Portland Trail Blazers. This meant that the Nets took on the four-year, $75 million deal that Crabbe penned with the Blazers in 2016, although the team was willing to take the contract due to their long-term interest in the LA native.

In his 18 months with the team, Crabbe has been a useful player to the Nets, although he is yet to show that he is worth anywhere near his huge $19.3 million annual salary. The 26-year-old is currently averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, although Crabbe has recently slipped out of the Nets starting five.

The shooting guard has also missed games recently through injury, and the Nets showed some of their best form of the season without Crabbe. Ultimately, Crabbe's performances have not justified his salary, and the team should look to move him on.