Thu, Jul 13, 2017 at 10:39am

NETS GET VET CARROLL AS RAPTORS SHED SALARY

The Brooklyn Nets acquired small forward DeMarre Carroll, a lottery-protected 1st-round draft pick in 2018, and a 2nd-round draft pick in 2018 from the Toronto Raptors for power forward / center Justin Hamilton.

What does it give the Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are obviously rebuilding, so with that in mind Carroll can be the hard-working, proven veteran presence every young team needs to help lead the way. He is a very expensive role player, but Brooklyn's low payroll gives the organization the ability to add bigger contracts to help other teams (while in the process garnering things like draft picks as compensation).

What does it give the Toronto Raptors
The recent re-signings of core stars Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka put the Raptors in the NBA's luxury tax territory, so salary needed to be cut for the team to have financial flexibility moving forward. Carroll to the Nets was a logical choice all-round, since the veteran forward has been disappointing in his two campaigns with Toronto and removing his salary ($30 million spread over the next two seasons) from the payroll brings major relief. Brooklyn has the salary cap space to take on such deals, but obviously needed the draft picks as payment. The Raps are expected to sign the less-expensive, more-productive C.J. Miles to replace Carroll as a key '3-and-D' guy. It remains to be seen if Hamilton will stay with the Raptors; if so, it's hard to see him having a major role with his new squad.

Fantasy impact
Carroll is an aging role player with a significant injury history, so it's hard to endorse him as much of a fantasy factor. That said, he'll probably play more minutes with the Nets than he did with the Raptors, so keep him on your list of potential fantasy free agent pickups. On the Toronto side of this deal, Miles should remain roughly as productive with the Raptors as he was with the Pacers (which is to say, solid enough to consider as an occasional fantasy addition when he hits a hot streak). Meanwhile Hamilton is an intriguing player because he can provide some of the outside shooting the Raptors need, but it's tough to imagine him winning big minutes on a contending team.