Netlinked 2/1/16: Mikhail Prokhorov finalizes Barclays Center and Nets purchases; how Nets could act at deadline

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The Brooklyn Nets are 12-36, have lost their last three games and hold the third-worst record in the NBA. They are just 1.5 games behind both the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves in their quest to not give the Boston Celtics the chance to draft Ben Simmons this June. Yeah, things aren’t great in Brooklyn.

But, in light of this, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has recently finalized his purchase of both the franchise and the Barclays Center so that he is now the sole owner of both entities. Per the story, from Crain’s Cleveland, the NBA wanted a single owner to have control of both the Nets and the arena they call home, and this deal accomplishes that goal.

Also, it means that Prokhorov is clearly dedicated to the on-court and off-court success of the organization, only a few months after which it was rumored he was interested in selling his shares in the team and the arena. For a franchise that hasn’t experienced much, if any, stability during its time in Brooklyn, the news is certainly welcome.

In other news, former Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks, who is currently a part of Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski’s new basketball-focused site, The Vertical, wrote a good article today analyzing what the Nets might do at this season’s trade deadline.

Unsurprisingly, Marks says that rookies Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough are untouchable — even with their current injury situations — but that basically everyone else on the roster could be considered in a trade that ideally would bring some picks and cap flexibility back to Brooklyn.

He also mentions how Sergey Karasev, whose option for next season was declined by the Nets, is a likely candidate to be moved in a small deal before the deadline to create another roster spot for Brooklyn. Karasev has seen very inconsistent minutes for the Nets this season and moving him along would make a lot of sense.

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