Nets Waiving Jevon Carter To Make Room For Goran Dragic

The Nets intend to waive point guard Jevon Carter to clear a roster spot for guard Goran Dragic, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Dragic met with the Nets on Friday, per Marc Stein of the Stein Line, and agreed to a deal on Monday, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Carter, 26, is 6-foot-1 and is averaging 3.6 points in 46 appearances with the Nets, after arriving in a trade with the Suns in late August. He spent two years with the Suns after playing for the Grizzlies as a rookie in 2018-19.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted, waiving Carter will result in a salary-cap hit of $3.9 million for the Nets next season.

Dragic has appeared in just five games this season and was traded from the Raptors to the Spurs on deadline day, then waived by the Spurs shortly thereafter. He was also drawing interest from the Lakers, Clippers, Mavericks, Bucks and Warriors, per reports.

“In his 15th NBA season, Dragic still has recent playoff success on his résumé,” Wojnarowski wrote. “He started 16 postseason games and averaged 19 points during the Miami Heat’s run to the NBA Finals in 2020 before a plantar fasciitis injury sidelined him in the Finals.”

For the Nets, Dragic should provide some immediate relief for the games that Kyrie Irving is forced to miss because of New York’s vaccine mandate.

Nets coach Steve Nash reportedly played a big role in Dragic’s recruitment, given that the two were teammates with the Suns early in Dragic’s career.

Carter must wait 48 hours to clear waivers before he can sign with another team. He also stands a chance to be claimed off the waiver wire, of course.