The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly interested in signing veteran forward Glen Davis, who was bought out by the Orlando Magic on Feb. 21.
This was according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Collins made history by becoming the first active male professional athlete in a major North American team sport to come out publicly as gay, though he has yet to appear in a game since his announcement.
Brooklyn is in dire need of a back-up big man because starting center and former All-Star Brook Lopez is out of the season due to injury.
The Nets have been tied to just about every available player of late, as free-spending owner Mikhail Prokhorov continues to show that money is no object.
Brooklyn have acquired guard Marcus Thornton from the Sacramento Kings at the trade deadline for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans, and it appears the team isn’t done shoring up the roster for a possible playoff run.
Thornton will be a good back-up to perennial All-Star and starting shooting guard Joe Johnson.
The Nets will certainly have a tough task ahead of them, though, because Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors are all intrigued with the prospect of signing Davis.
One could argue that every single one of those teams is closer to contending for a title than Brooklyn is at this time.
The 6’9″ power forward Davis has plenty of postseason experience from his days in Boston, which is one of the most appealing aspects on his resume. He’s averaging 12.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game during the 2013-14 season with the Magic.
Davis’s former teammates from the Boston Celtics—Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett—now reside in Brooklyn will welcome him if he will be signed.
However, Pierce hints that Davis may be leaning toward a reunion with his former coach, Doc Rivers, in Los Angeles. In the end, it’s his decision to make, and that choice will likely depend on playing time and personal comfort rather than money.
Signing Davis looks like a long shot for the Nets, so at least they can resort back to Collins as a Plan B. Collins is also a playoff tested center having played with Kidd with the Nets during the glory days of New Jersey.
As a rookie, Collins played a significant role in the New Jersey Nets’ first ever NBA Finals berth in 2002 against the Los Angeles Lakers
In the 2002–03 NBA season Collins took over the starting center role for the Nets and helped the franchise back to the NBA Finals.
