Dzanan

Musa

Musa, a first-round pick in 2018, averaged more than 20 points per game for Rio Breogan last season. As a result, Real Madrid came calling, inking the former NBA wing to a two-year contract.

In exchange for Bruce Brown, Detroit received Musa and a 2021 second-round pick from the Nets in November. Musa appeared in just one preseason game for the Pistons, so it does not come as a surprise that he was waived.

This is the first trade under new GM Troy Weaver as the franchise begins their long rebuild. Musa was the 29th pick in the 2018 draft, and despite his versatility, he was never able to be a consistent rotation player in Brooklyn. Detroit is the ideal location for young players to have a shot at fantasy value, so we’ll be watching Musa closely. He has shot just 37% from the field at the NBA level in his first two years, but does have some impressive G League stats with 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.1 triples.

The Nets like Brown’s defense and how could they not, as Brown often guarded the best opposing player last season and averaged 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks per 36 minutes. He’s also owed just $1.6M in the final year of his deal, and he has a shot of minutes right out of the gate. He could be viewed as a Garrett Temple replacement on the wings. This is a bad move in terms of fantasy value though, so this likely takes him out of the standard-league conversation.

Martin added one 3-pointer, two rebounds, six assists, one steal and one turnover while he was out there, and he got some extra burn with Chris Chiozza (groin) leaving the game early. Dzana Musa also hit a career-high in the scoring column with 17 points, two triples, six rebounds, six assists, one steal and four turnovers in 35 minutes. The Nets were up by double-digits for most of the game, and the main guys were resting, so we wouldn’t read too much into these silly season lines for nominal players.

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson has gone away from defensive specialist David Nwaba, he’s barely played Timothe Luwawu-Caborrot, and Rodions Kurucs has seen more minutes in the G League than with Brooklyn. That’s allowed Musa and Iman Shumpert (three points, three boards, two steals) to carve out minutes with the second unit, though neither guy has been useful in fantasy leagues. They’re also both liable to fall out of the mix with Caris LeVert (thumb) and Wilson Chandler (suspension) due back in December.

Back in October, the Nets really talked up how they think Musa could find a role as a ball-handler and could push for minutes earlier in the season than they expected before camp. Well, that chance is now with Caris LeVert (thumb) out until next month while Kyrie Irving (shoulder) is out in the short term. It sounds like Irving will be back for the next one, so Musa is only a speculative add in deeper leagues.

This was a formality for both players. Musa does have a path to minutes unlike his rookie season behind Caris LeVert and Joe Harris, and he has played well in the preseason with 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 dimes and 2.0 triples. For now, he’s just a name to monitor in very deep leagues and a stash in deep dynasty formats.

He’s been really solid in his time with the Vegas team. Rodions Kurucs is further along in development, but Musa still has upside as a secondary ball-handler with length to guard several positions. He’s still not quite on the fantasy radar for most leagues.

Coach Kenny Atkinson wants him to get minutes and “round back into form” with the Long Island Nets. He’s safe to leave on the wire in all re-draft leagues.