After trading away another key member of their team at the draft for the second consecutive season, the New Jersey Nets’ star power is at all time low.

The Nets say they are trying to get smaller and more athletic, but it looks pretty obvious that they’re looking for as many ways to shed salary as possible.

“With Williams and Lee and Devin we have three guys who can handle the ball and are very, very quick. I’m sure we’ll play them together a lot,” Nets President Rod Thorn told the Associated Press. “We think we’ve got a real nice cadre of young players that have a lot of talent. Not only are they young but they have talent. We have some great athletes now and we think that’s the way the league’s going. I don’t think we’re a finished product. I think you’ll see us do other things between now and the start of the season.”

Notice how Thorn repeated himself in that quote? It’s almost as if he’s trying to assure himself as well.

If you’re trying to build a young and talented team, why trade Ryan Anderson and leave Yi Jianlian to middle his way through another NBA season? The guy has as much passion as a pet rock and is about the same in terms of agility.

Saving money is one thing, but getting rid of your leading scorer and forcing this team to rise above it again may be asking too much. The fact that the team hung in the playoff picture as long as they did last season was a miracle, especially since they had no real small forward or power forward most of the season and rookie center, who thankfully was able to grow and develop.

Asking it to happen again is an absolute impossibility.

Forcing more youngsters to come in and play big minutes right away for a second consecutive season, the Nets are rebuilding.

Make no mistakes about it.

The only team that doesn’t know it or is unwilling to admit it is them.

So while there is a possibility they make another move or so, don’t expect one; the real work will come in 2010-11, forcing fans to wait through another disappointing season.

This trade may end up going down as one of the worst in the team’s history. However, if things work out, it could be the beginning of a new-look Nets team that will be younger, faster and better on defense than they have been in quite some time.

Why the Nets would give up their leading scorer in Vince Carter, a proven NBA commodity who had serious chemistry with Devin Harris and a talented youngster in Ryan Anderson for what they got seems a bit obscene at first.

Sure, Rafer Alston is a talented point guard that showed flashes of brilliance during the playoffs, but the Nets already have a point guard, a good one at that and a more than competent backup in Keyon Dooling that proved during the season that he can be more than an understudy if he has to be. So where does Alston fit? Is Harris going to move to shooting guard to accommodate the loss of Carter? What’s going on here?

The same thing goes for the signing of Tony Battie, who despite being an excellent rebounder off the bench and a trusty veteran, comes in with players like Sean Williams, Josh Boone and cough, Yi Jianlian capable of manning the position and in need of minutes. With that being said, where will he fit in with the Nets?

Courtney Lee however is an interesting player. I think he can definitely be a solid small forward if given about 30 minutes a night and with some more pressure on him. He’s also an excellent three-point shooter that is far more explosive than Bobby Simmons, with much more upside. If he can score a dozen points a game and provide some energy, this trade may not be so bad.

With the drafting of Terrance Williams from Louisville as well, the Nets also continue to get younger and more energetic in addition to having cleared a ton of cap room by trading away high-priced veterans like Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter over the past two years.

It’s the end of an era.

But it could be the beginning of something great as well.

With the draft still on its way, NetsNotes.com takes a look at a couple of players the Nets could get their hands on.

Terrance Williams-Louisville

From CBSSports.com:

One of the more colorful characters in college basketball, to call Williams “unique” would be an understatement. When he first arrived on Louisville’s campus as a freshman, he was a brash, cocky youngster with a me-first attitude, but he quickly adhered to head coach Rick Pitino’s rules. He not only became the team’s leader and “spokesman,” but in this day and age where players opt out of college for a chance to play in the pros, he was very comfortable staying with the Cardinals until his eligibility ran out.

After Williams led the Cardinals to a 76-66 win over Syracuse in the Big East title game, he jumped on a press table, impersonating Syracuse’s Eric Devendorf for his teammates. He shook the television announcers’ hands at the conclusion of the victory and entertained reporters, saying he saw “Tweety birds” when he took a forearm to the face, and boasting about the 55 text messages he had waiting after Louisville won the Big East.

My Thoughts: It’s obvious the kid grew a lot during his time with Pitino and I love his energy. He’d be a fun addition to the team and given the fact that he’s a good rebounder and a decent three-point shooter, he gives the team even more options.

Jordan Hill-Arizona

From CBSSsports.com:

Hill has made remarkable strides in all areas of his game despite his virtual neophyte status. He rates as one of the premier rebounders eligible for the draft, excelling at attacking the offensive glass with the athleticism to evolve into an offensive threat.

Hill’s rebounding skills saw him set the school single-season record with 375 as a junior, and his career total of 763 boards place him ninth in Arizona history. A high-percentage shooter, Hill made 65.2 percent of his field goals as a freshman (second-best percentage in Wildcats’ annals) and 62.0 percent of his attempts as a sophomore (fourth on the season list). In 97 games for UA, his field-goal percentage of .578 ranks fifth on the school all-time record list.

My Thoughts: He’s a damn big power forward with great rebounding ability with the potential to be a better offensive player than he is right now. My personal choice for the Nets this season if they can land him.