Looking to shore up their roster and shave more salary, the Brooklyn Nets have traded point guard Steve Blake to the Detroit Pistons for forward Quincy Miller, according to reports by Shams Charania of RealGM.
After stretching and buying out Deron Williams’ $43.3 million contract a couple days ago to relieve themselves from extra spending’s, the Nets have acquired Miller’s $981K unguaranteed contract for Blake’s $2.1 million fully guaranteed contract.
The Nets are expected to waive Miller before allowing his contract to become guaranteed. They are eagerly looking to get under the luxury tax threshold and should be able to do so without having to trade Joe Johnson, who reportedly will not be shopped anymore.
Blake, 35, will join a crowded Pistons backcourt and will likely play behind point guards Brandon Jennings, Reggie Jackson, and possibly Spencer Dinwiddie if he does indeed remain on the team.
The well-traveled veteran could add leadership to a young Detroit team. Blake is an intelligent player who brings positive energy to the locker room and is extremely unselfish on the court. He could knock down timely shots and make clever plays for Stan Van Gundy and the Pistons if utilized.
In his 12-year career, Blake has played for seven different teams, supplying sufficient three-point shooting and ball handling. He has career averages of 6.7 points and 4.0 assists on 38.5 percent shooting from deep.
Meanwhile, the third-year forward Quincy Miller has yet to find a permanent home. He continues to bounce around the league while earning minimal minutes. Once he is waived by Brooklyn, the 22-year old may draw interest from teams in need of a wing player.
In his career, Miller has averaged 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game. He played a career-high 52 games during the 2013-2014 NBA season for the Denver Nuggets but hasn’t been able to find much playing time since.