Spencer Dinwiddie has officially changed his number from No. 8 to No. 26, effective immediately. The NBA typically forces players to wait until the offseason to change numbers, but they granted Dinwiddie's request in this instance. 

Dinwiddie is a native of Los Angeles and has been public in expressing how much Kobe Bryant meant to him.

The decision was made to informally retire Bryant's number for the Brooklyn Nets.

Kyrie Irving sat out Sunday's game at Madison Square Garden for personal reasons following news of the passing of Kobe Bryant.

Bryant left the arena after hearing the news.

“I was with him. I’ll keep [the scene] private, but they were very close,” Kenny Atkinson said of Irving. “Tough, tough, tough, tough times.”

Irving became close to Bryant over the years and they FaceTimed when the Cleveland Cavaliers won The Finals in 2016.

“Obviously our leader, Ky, wasn’t able to play. Our thoughts go out to him as well as to the families, to the Bryant family and the other families on the helicopter, parents, the pilot,” Garrett Temple said. “That was Spencer [Dinwiddie’s] idol. … We saw him just last month, him and his daughter. So it’s tough, man.”

The Brooklyn Nets are moving Spencer Dinwiddie back to the bench, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Nets have lost 12 out of their last 14 games. 

Dinwiddie is currently averaging 21.5 points and 6.5 assists per game. 

Garrett Temple or Caris LeVert will replace Dinwiddie in the lineup. 

The Brooklyn Nets have signed guard/forward Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot to a second 10-day contract. 

Luwawu-Cabarrot (6’7, 210) was originally signed by Brooklyn to a two-way contract on Oct. 23 and signed a 10-day contract with the Nets on Jan. 15. In 21 games for Brooklyn this season, the 24-year-old has averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per contest, shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from 3-point range. In 192 career games (33 starts) over four NBA seasons with Brooklyn, Chicago (2019), Oklahoma City (2018-19) and Philadelphia (2016-18), he has averaged 5.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. Luwawu-Cabarrot has also appeared in and started 10 NBA G League contests with the Long Island Nets this season, averaging 19.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 33.2 minutes per game.

The Long Island Nets have acquired guard/forward Justin Anderson from the Raptors 905 in exchange for forward/center Henry Ellenson. 

In a corresponding move, the Nets have requested waivers on guard Ash Yacoubou.

Anderson (6’5”, 231) appeared in 15 games (all starts) for the Raptors 905 this season, recording averages of 20.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.6 minutes per game. On Jan. 6, Anderson signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets and appeared in three games for Brooklyn. Over four NBA seasons with Dallas (2015-17), Philadelphia (2017-18), Atlanta (2018-19) and Brooklyn (2019-20), Anderson has appeared in 219 NBA games and holds career averages of 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game. He also appeared in seven games (all starts) for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League during the 2015-16 season, where he averaged 23.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 38.3 minutes per game.

Anderson was originally selected by Dallas with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft.

Kyrie Irving revealed he has spoken to his Brooklyn Nets' teammates about comments in which he listed the players he saw as being a part of the franchise's future.

"I reached out to make sure nothing was taken out of context -- making sure that the guys knew exactly what I meant," Irving said on Friday after practice. "And that is the only thing that matters. Everyone can say, if I was in this position, 'I would've said this, I would've done this.' They have have no idea because they've never been at this level, so how could you even comment on it?"

He continued: "The most important thing is making sure these guys -- they have the belief in themselves and I continue to reiterate that confidence we have as a team. It is going to come down to that in order to be at a championship level to compete against the West, we need more. It is what it is."

On Wednesday, Irving told reporters that he felt it was "glaring" that the Nets "need one or two more pieces to complement" himself, Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan, Garrett Temple, Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert.

Irving most notably omitted Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris and Taurean Prince.

Irving also said he is not imploring the Nets to make any major moves before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

"I think when we have championship aspirations," Irving said. "Do we want to be the eighth seed going into the playoffs? The seventh seed? But you're able to be real with the team that you have here and you're able to collectively, cohesively come together as a group. That is what you figure out. But the goals are still to win a championship. I don't come in every day to frickin' be mediocre or to be in the middle of the standings."

Raptors 905 have re-signed Justin Anderson.

Anderson recently came off a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

Anderson performed well during his initial 13 games with the 905, averaging 21.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 48.4 per cent shooting.

Kyrie Irving said it was obvious that the Brooklyn Nets need to upgrade their roster this summer following their 117-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I mean, it's transparent. It's out there. It's glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level. I'm going to continue to reiterate it. We're going to do the best with the guys that we have in our locker room now, and we'll worry about all the other stuff, in terms of moving pieces and everything else, as an organization down the line in the summer," said Irving after the game. 

Irving finished with 14 points on 6-of-21 shooting on the night.

Irving added that the team needs 1 or 2 more key players to compliment their current core. 

"It's just something that we signed up for. We knew what we were coming into at the beginning of this season. ... Collectively, I feel like we have great pieces, but it's pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces that will compliment myself, [Kevin Durant], DJ, GT, Spence [Dinwiddie], Caris [LeVert], and we'll see how that evolves," added Irving.

The Brooklyn Nets signed Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot to a 10-day contract, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Nets also signed Jeremiah Martin on a two-way deal.

The team released Justin Anderson, who had signed a 10-day contract earlier this month.

The Brooklyn Nets signed DeAndre Jordan to a four-year, $40 million deal this past offseason when many insiders expected him to get $6 million to $8 million per season on a short-term contract.

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant took less guaranteed money to facilitate signing Jordan while Sean Marks was comfortable with the price tag. 

"We're going to be a tax team," Marks said. "We are married to that. There's a limited amount of times and ways you can continue to add to your team. You better do it now. You're gearing up for a run."

Jordan was asked about the notion he's valued for his friendships than his on-court play.

"As long as I'm respected by my peers and coaches, I'm cool," Jordan said.

Marks claims the Nets were already targeting Jordan even before they received commitments from Durant and Irving.

"We are going to benefit from having him around," Marks said. "So, it is not fair to call him a throw-in."