Duke basketball: Blockbuster trade involves sizzling NBA Blue Devil

Duke basketball guards Seth Curry and Kyrie Irving (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Duke basketball guards Seth Curry and Kyrie Irving (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Nets may soon catch fire with another Duke basketball product in Brooklyn.

Former three-year Duke basketball sniper Seth Curry (2010-13) is heading to the Brooklyn Nets after their pre-deadline blockbuster trade on Thursday with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers (32-22) sent Curry, Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, and a pair of first-round draft picks to the Nets (29-25) in exchange for James Harden and Paul Millsap.

As a result of the move, Curry joins forces with a former Blue Devil teammate in star point guard Kyrie Irving. Perhaps, at least in the road games Irving plays, Curry’s sizzling stroke will perfectly complement the dazzling playmaking of Irving and Simmons for the struggling Nets, who are in the midst of a nine-game losing streak and have fallen to No. 8 in the Eastern Conference.

Duke basketball alum providing exquisite outside shooting and more

Seth Curry’s 3-point percentage is down a smidge from his past four campaigns. Just the same, the former undrafted shooting guard is shooting 40.0 percent this season from deep.

And even with the slight drop, Curry ranks No. 2 among active NBA players with his career 43.7 shooting percentage from 3-point land. On that list, he trails only his new teammate in Brooklyn: shooting guard Joe Harris, who has missed the bulk of this season while dealing with an ankle injury.

This season was Curry’s second in Philadelphia.

Except for his shooting percentages, the 31-year-old North Carolina native is averaging career-highs pretty much across the board with his 15.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in 34.8 minutes per game. One might expect Curry’s role to be equally as important as a member of the Nets.

The eighth-year NBA journeyman has seen action with seven franchises. Now, the Brooklyn Nets will be the eighth stop for the savvy, reliable, sharpshooting veteran.

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