The Brooklyn Nets have taken a step back this season on purpose as they've cleared cap space for 2016.

But their draft pick will go to the Boston Celtics as part of the trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

“We took our shot and it didn’t work,” Billy King said. “And now to see some of these guys develop and to get it back and for us to have the cap space [next summer], we can do it pretty quickly. We want to win but we knew we may take a step back when some of the decisions were made. But what I like is we’ve put ourselves in the position to beat a Golden State, we just didn’t make the right plays. That’s just learning how to win. We’re talking the steps.”

The Brooklyn Nets have interest in making a trade though Billy King doesn't expect it to be drastic.

The Nets are projected of having $40 million in cap space and don't want to make a short-sighted move.

“We can trade now and eat all that space up, get to 30-something wins and make the playoffs in the eighth spot,” King said at the team’s New Jersey practice facility Monday afternoon. “[But] then, where’s the future now? So it’s about adding the right pieces and being patient.

“We didn’t get here overnight, and we are not going to get out of it overnight. That’s reality. There is not something where it’s, ‘OK, this is the magic wand and we are going to do this and it’s going to change overnight. We knew that going in, we knew that when we made those decisions and it didn’t work, and so now we’ve got to gradually, systematically dig yourself out of it.”

King said he’s made some “exploratory calls” about trades.

The Nets are currently 0-7.

Brook Lopez has avoided another injury to his foot.

Lopez has had three surgeries on his right foot and he had to leave Saturday's game with soreness.

X-rays on his foot were negative and no further tests are scheduled.

The Brooklyn Nets expect Lopez to be in their lineup on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.

The NBA Development League and the Brooklyn Nets today announced that the club has acquired the right to own and operate an NBA D-League team. The new team, the Long Island Nets, will begin play in the 2016-17 season at Barclays Center in Brooklyn before relocating to its permanent home at the new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the 2017-18 campaign.

The Nets become the record 12th NBA team to fully own and operate its NBA D-League affiliate, while the NBA D-League expands to a record 21 teams for the 2016-17 season.

“Today’s announcement is an exciting one – not only for the NBA D-League, which welcomes the league’s record 21st team; or the Nets, who will have a place for young talent to develop; but for Nets fans,” said Malcolm Turner, NBA D-League President. “The NBA D-League is a place where talented young athletes refine their skills and develop into NBA contributors, and fans in Brooklyn, and later on Long Island, are sure to enjoy watching current and future NBA talent in an affordable, family-friendly atmosphere. I’m excited to work with the Nets’ executive staff as we ramp up to the start of the 2016-17 season together.”

“The creation of a D-League club goes hand in hand with the building of a younger, more athletic Brooklyn Nets team,” said Brooklyn Nets Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. “It will provide additional roster opportunities that will serve us well as we focus on realizing the full potential of our coaches and players, current and future.”

The Brooklyn Nets have hired Randy Ayers as college scout and Bob Bender as pro scout.

Ayers joins the Nets following a five-year stint as an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans, including serving the last four years as the team’s lead assistant coach. Ayers began his NBA coaching career as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1997 under head coach Larry Brown, helping to guide the Sixers to five consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001. He then assumed the position of head coach for the 2003-04 season, compiling a 21-31 record in his lone season at the helm.  

Bender joins the Nets after most recently spending the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks. Before joining the Bucks, Bender spent nine seasons on the bench in Atlanta, serving his final three seasons as an assistant under Larry Drew.