The Brooklyn Nets gave free agent center Jason Collins a workout in Los Angeles and now the team may sign him after the trading deadline passed and the team did not work out a deal with the Lakers for Jordan Hill, who was being shopped around the league by the team.
According to ESPN.com, Collins got a workout from the Nets in LA and the team could sign him to a 10-day contract and this comes as the team was in the market at the deadline for a player in the frontcourt. The team couldn't work out a deal for Hill and they are now just a couple games under .500 and a few out of first place in the division heading into the second half and adding some depth to the roster could be huge.
It was somewhat maddening to see no teams step up to the plate to sign Collins and while I understand he is old, every team in the league needs "end of bench" players and guys that can bang on the boards and take fouls and he would be perfect for that role. The Nets signify a good situation for Collins, as he previously played for the New Jersey Nets and the city of New York and the borough of Brooklyn likely would be very receptive to an openly gay player coming to their team.
Collins has already made an impact by coming out and he would become the first openly gay player to suit up for a team in the four major professional sports in North America and comes on the heels of Michael Sam's announcement. Robbie Rogers with the Los Angeles Galaxy is openly gay and Collins could be the first to play in a major sport after Rogers did it and while it would be a big media story, it likely wouldn't be as crazy as it was when he first made the announcement.
Collins would be in a comfortable place with the Nets, as he previously played with Jason Kidd during his time in New Jersey and with a team of veterans like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Collins would fit in fine. Collins has averaged four points and just under four rebounds in his career and he would be a good option for the team after they lost Brook Lopez for the season.
