Ex-Durant sub could join Nets

Alfonzo McKinnie served as Kevin Durant’s backup in Golden State. Could he do the same thing in Brooklyn

With the Warriors planning to waive McKinnie on Saturday, former Nets assistant general manager Bobby Marks — now with ESPN — said his former team would be “at the front of the line” to add the 6foot-8, 215-pound forward should he clear waivers.

The Nets waived four players on Friday night, and their roster stands at 16. With Henry Ellenson the only two-way on the team, the Nets have another twoway spot open and could add McKinnie as the replacement for Wilson Chandler, who will be suspended the first 25 games by the NBA for PED use.

Marks points out that if the Nets sign McKinnie before the season, they could use him on the active roster right from Wednesday’s opener as long as they designate three players to the inactive list. Chandler is on the active list for the first five games, so inking McKinnie to a standard deal means the Nets would need to wait five games (until Chandler goes to the suspended list) to use him.

The Nets could also wait until Nov. 1 to sign McKinnie as Chandler’s replacement. There had been a feeling they were also considering the same for Lance Thomas, who went through camp with them and was waived Friday night.

Of course, all this assumes McKinnie clears waivers. Considering he would be be a low-risk flier with upside, that’s no sure thing.

McKinnie averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 boards in 13.9 minutes last season, shooting 48.7 overall and 35.6 from 3. With Durant out during the Western Conference finals, he averaged 5.8 points in 17.5 minutes.

But with Golden State choosing Marquese Chriss for their final roster spot, McKinnie will be out of a job and on the market.

Rodions Kurucs is due back in a Brooklyn court Monday on an assault charge.