Report: 4 serious candidates emerge for Nets' GM vacancy
The Brooklyn Nets are looking to hire a new general manager before the Feb. 18 trade deadline, and four candidates have separated themselves from the pack.
Sources told Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski that Denver Nuggets assistant general manager Arturas Karnisovas and Houston Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas have emerged as serious candidates.
Related: The Nets prepare to pitch prospective GMs
Former Atlanta Hawks general manager Danny Ferry, and former Toronto and Phoenix general manager Bryan Colangelo, two previously reported names, are also in the mix.
The Nets also reportedly balked at the ludicrous $120-million price tag on Kentucky's John Calipari.
Karnisovas, a Lithuanian-born former player who also speaks Russian, holds a strong global resume that includes stints in the Rockets' front office and working as USA Basketball's global basketball scout. In Denver, he helped the Nuggets land several promising foreign players, including Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, and Joffrey Lauvergne.
Related: What direction will a new GM take the Nets?
Rosas, a 13-year veteran with the Rockets, played a major role in signing Patrick Beverley away from Europe, and selected Chandler Parsons with the 38th pick. He also has strong ties with Jeff Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau - the latter of which has been linked to the Nets' coaching vacancy.