Nets coach and general manager Kiki Vandeweghe doesn't think the team's poor record will affect their ability to sign free agents.

"Having been through this before, having been down the recruiting process, having had a lot of cap space, having had a really bad rebuilding season, I was never asked once by an agent or a free agent about our record the year before," Vandeweghe said.

"You're judged by not necessarily on your record, if you fast forward to July, you're judged on the assets you have in place and what the free agents are going to come join. Having been through this, we had a 17-win season, we recruited all the best free agents available in that year and never asked once about the record."

The coach and GM was then asked whether it would be better for the Nets to trade a star player before the Feb. 18 deadline, rather than wait to sign free agents this summer.

"I don't think you can let the day-to-day force you into band-aid solutions," he said. "If you're saying, 'Can you shortcut the process and get a super player in a trade?' I think you would always try to do that. You have to weigh that against all your options. But you've got to be open to everything. You can't close your mind to any option at all.

"You don't close your minds to any options. A good trade is a good trade. A good move is a good basketball move. You don't try it because things aren't going the way you want ? you can't say oh let me give up all my draft picks. You?re not going to make a bad trade. If we can make a good trade that's positive for the team absolutely you do it."