The Brooklyn Nets may be prepared to take a flier on inconsistent big man Andray Blatche, as the club reportedly met with the seven-year NBA veteran this weekend in Houston.
Blatche's career in Washington flickered out this past season: his scoring plummeted from 16.5 points a game to 8.5, he spoke out against coaching, and eventually was benched due to poor conditioning. This offseason, the Wizards opted to amnesty the power forward/center rather than pay the $23 million left on the final three years of his contract.
But Brooklyn doesn't need Blatche to fill up the statsheet or even be a starter, as he was in Washington. It is looking for a backup to play sparingly behind Brook Lopez, and Blatche, who has proven his scoring talent in moments across his career, could be a decent fit. On the one hand, Brooklyn apparently has no desire to give the big man a guaranteed contract, offering little more than a trip to training camp and an opportunity to fight for one of two remaining roster spots. On the other, Blatche is so desperate to revive a once-promising career that he's said he's willing to go the D-League route to prove his new direction. If Blatche shows an ability to produce without the baggage he's become associated with, the Nets might find value in him.
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