According to a report from Brian Lewis, the Brooklyn Nets waived four players and cut their roster down to 16.
According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the Brooklyn Nets waived four guys Tuesday morning, slimming the roster down to 16: Beau Beech, Chase Budinger, Jorge Gutierrez, and Egidijus Mockevicius.
The chances of them making the roster were small; Gutierrez and Budinger were camp invites, and Beech and Mockevicius were undrafted rookies who signed partially guaranteed deals.
This announcement comes the morning after a 120-99 loss was handed to Brooklyn from the Boston Celtics, where Beech, Gutierrez, and Mockevicius played sparingly–Budinger scored ten points in 18 minutes.
Until yesterday, Beech and Mockevicius hadn’t seen any preseason action, which was a radiant indicator of what the coaching staff planned to do with them.
Beech had gained a reputation as a sharpshooter at North Florida, and Mockevicius was the NCAA’s leading rebounder last season at Evansville. While it’s not a surprise they were waived, Mockevicius would’ve had a shot to fill one of the Nets’ biggest holes: rebounding.
According to RealGM, the Nets are allowing 50.2 rebounds per game through five preseason contests.
For Beach to have made the roster, his consistency from three-point range would’ve had to mirror what it was in college–or at least close to it. As a senior, the 6’9 guard finished third in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a three-point percentage of 42.4. During the Summer League, he was off. Had he shot better, he might’ve wiggled his way into the preseason rotation
Both Budinger and Gutierrez have spent time in the NBA and will likely sign with another team before it’s all said and done.
Brooklyn now sits one move away from having their 15-man roster ready for the start of the regular season.
