It took awhile, but the Nets eventually made the splash they were hoping to in Thursday night’s NBA draft. After spending most of the first round trying to move up to acquire a point guard, the Nets eventually wound up sending Mason Plumlee and the draft rights to Pat Connaughton, their pick at No. 41, to Portland in exchange for Arizona small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the No. 23 pick Thursday night, and veteran point guard Steve Blake. The prize of the trade for the Nets was clearly Hollis-Jefferson, who general manager Billy King called the best defender in the draft. “From watching him play, that’s what he does,” King said. “He loves to play defense.” The move not only allowed the Nets to both get another point guard as well as more athletic on the perimeter, but by moving Plumlee it also reinforces a growing belief the Nets will keep Brook Lopez when he opts out of the final year of his contract, as expected, and hits free agency next month. The combination of Lopez and Plumlee never got off the ground this past season. After Lopez was excellent over the final few months of the regular season, the Nets made him available in trade talks leading to the draft. - See more at: http://nypost.com/2015/06/25/nets-draft-syracuse-forward-bronx-native-chris-mccullough/
