The Nets made room for Wilson Chandler and now he’ll have to prove he’s worth the space.
Iman Shumpert, after a short but impactful tenure with the Nets, was waived Thursday because of Chandler’s imminent season debut following a 25-game PED suspension. Pumping life back into an inert defense, Shumpert helped set a new standard for the Nets, who went 9-4 with him in the rotation.
But it became clear that the prior commitment to Chandler, who was signed to a one-year, veteran-minimum contract in July, was the priority. And even though the Nets just let their defensive catalyst walk out the door, the Nets are confident in what they’ll get from Chandler.