The Brooklyn Nets do not yet have a full-time GM in place after re-assigning Billy King earlier this year. Because of that the Nets can't really be aggressive on the trade market with the deadline approaching, so they will have to look at other avenues to change up their roster. Buyouts are a popular option that the Nets can use, and there has been a lot of discussion about whether they will buy out Joe Johnson. That remains to be seen, but it seems as though Andrea Bargnani is likely to be bought out, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Bargnani signed with the Nets this offseason on a two-year deal for the veteran's minimum, with the second year being a player option. Bargnani was brought in to be Brook Lopez's backup at the center position, but he has dealt with injuries and not brought much to the table this season. Because Bargnani's on a minimum contract, it wouldn't seem like the Nets would gain all that much from buying him out, but it will accomplish a couple of things: The Nets would have a guarantee that Bargnani would not pick up his player option and be on the team next year, and it opens up a roster spot for a young player to possibly get an audition with the team.
An interesting tidbit in all of this is the fact that one of the finalists for the Nets GM job is Bryan Colangelo, who happens to be the man that drafted Bargnani first overall in 2006. Colangelo has done a lot of great things in his career as a GM, but taking Bargnani with the first pick wasn't his best moment. If Colangelo is hired he may have the opportunity to move on from him for good.
So far this season Bargnani is averaging 6.6 points and 2.1 rebounds off the bench for the Nets, but he has recently fallen out of the rotation in favor of younger players. The 30-year-old center ranks as the Nets' worst player in terms of on-court/off court differential and is the worst rim protector in the NBA, according to Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game.
The Nets could use the stretch provision on Bargnani so that his cap hit over the next few years goes down, but that may not be necessary because of his low salary. In order for Bargnani to be able to join a team's playoff roster he will need to be bought out before March 1, but it would be a surprise if a playoff team signed him. Bargnani plays virtually no defense and can't even get minutes on one of the worst teams in the league, so his NBA career may be coming to an end.
