Fresh pair
Nets set to welcome new duo
MEXICO CITY — When the Nets parted ways with popular veterans Trevor Booker and Sean Kilpatrick, there was always a concern the move could disrupt the locker room. That’s why general manager Sean Marks came to talk to the players personally, and coach Kenny Atkinson spoke with them individually.
Marks and Atkinson wanted to make sure the players understood why the move had to be made, and ensure they’d accept Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas — newcomers that are expected to join the team Monday in Brooklyn.
“The plan going forward is to always inform these guys of important decisions like that, change of roster,” Atkinson said. “Yes, I agree; Sean and Trevor were loved in that locker room. But there’s also the business side of this. It happens with every team and it’s difficult.
“But young players, young people are very adaptable. They’ll move on quickly, although they’ll miss those two guys. I think it’ll be a seamless transition. They’ll accept these two new guys and the plan for the future is to have a better Nets team going forward. That was the goal. I’m glad we explained it to the players. That’s the type of organization we want.”
And it was a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed, softening the blow of trading a vocal leader in Booker and waiving a popular local in Kilpatrick.
“We were devastated. They were like one of our brothers, both of them, SK, Sean Kilpatrick and Trevor. But they came to talk to us and try to make us see the bigger picture, see why they did the trade,” DeMarre Carroll said. “In the end, hopefully those guys can latch on and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Emotionally, Spencer Dinwiddie agreed that losing Booker and Kilpatrick was like losing brothers. But intellectually he understood the need for the Nets to build for their future with Okafor, Stauskas and a 2019 draft pick.
“Obviously, it’s mixed. Trevor and Sean are our brothers, even to this day. It always hurts to see guys you grew with leave,” Dinwiddie said. “But at the same time, we’re excited about the future. Obviously, management does everything with the future in mind, trying to make our team as good as possible. So we’re excited about that. New faces, sure … but at the same time, we’re just going to continue to try and get better and win as many games as possible. The goal doesn’t change.”
To a man, the Nets proclaimed confidence the newcomers will help them do that, despite underperforming as lottery picks with the 76ers.
“For sure. They definitely have talent,” Carroll said. “Now we’ve got to try to get them in, jell them into the system, and the culture we’re trying to build. I feel like that’ll be easy, because if you don’t fit in you’ll stick out like a sore thumb in this [culture].”