Nets look abroad to continue rebuild
NEW YORK » The Brooklyn Nets have been creative in their attempt to start from scratch after selling away the future of the franchise five years ago hunting for a championship that never came.
Two months after capping a third straight losing season, the Nets hope their latest acquisitions might be part of the solution.
Brooklyn continued its rebuild Thursday night, selecting Dzanan Musa with the 29th overall pick and Rodions Kurics at No. 40 in the NBA draft.
Musa was taken with the pick acquired from the Toronto Raptors in a trade last July, which also landed forward DeMarre Carroll.
The Nets have been trying to salvage something of the pre-
vious drafts after the last regime sent three unprotected first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 to the Boston Celtics and the right to swap first round picks in the 2017 draft for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry.
The trade netted Brooklyn a disappointing secondround exit that season and sent the organization into a downward spiral with no draft assets to show for it.
So now, the Nets are looking abroad.
Brooklyn has invested heavily in its international scouting department since New Zealand-born general manager Marks took over in February 2016, and that group led them to Musa and Kurics.
Musa, 19-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina, spent the last three seasons with KK Cedevita, leading them to the Croatian League championship. At 6-foot-9, he averaged 13.3 points and shot 46.2 percent from the field in 30 league games.
Brooklyn was impressed with what they had seen at the international level from Musa, who has been playing professionally since the age of 16.