Has Olivier-Maxence Prosper Cleared Waivers? An Update on the Potential Nets Target

As of 5 p.m. EST today, former Dallas Mavericks forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper has officially cleared waivers. On Friday, Dallas opted to use the waive-and-stretch technique on Prosper, paving way for Dante Exum to officially sign his new contract, taking the former first-round pick's roster spot following his departure.

Prosper was heavily linked as a potential salary dump target for the Brooklyn Nets, who can now pursue the former Marquette star without being forced to give up anything in return. The question is, will they?

If we don't hear anything in the coming days, and Prosper either remains unsigned or agrees to join one of Brooklyn's rivals, it will be quite apparent that the Nets were only after the draft capital from the start. They've sought out these types of deals all summer, ranging from taking on Terance Mann's contract to add another first-rounder in June's draft—which ended up being Drake Powell—to trading a heavily-protected second-rounder for Haywood Highsmith and a future second-rounder.

Once it became known Prosper would no longer be a Maverick, it became quite easy to link the 23-year-old to Brooklyn—specifically via trade. After the Nets waived Tosan Evbuomwan the same day as the deadline to waive and stretch players, it appeared that a transaction was imminent, yet it wasn't.

Now that Prosper has cleared waivers and there has yet to be any progression of the smoke we heard days ago, that means the Nets are doing one of two things right now.

One: they're evaluating their roster, trying to identify who to move on from so that Prosper can be brought in. While Brooklyn does boast a pretty crowded frontcourt, it'd be hard to imagine it simply overlooking the idea of adding an athletic 23-year-old with great defensive traits.

Two: they never had any interest in Prosper and won't explore signing him because he was never the draw; the draft picks were. Brooklyn has been determined to acquire as many second-rounders as possible since the start of the offseason, and taking on the remainder of Prosper's contract likely would've merited the franchise two more. Now that there's no possibility of the Nets gaining future draft flexibility by adding Prosper, the interest may no longer exist.

Someone will take a flier on the 2023 first-rounder eventually. It may take a few days, but he'll wind up on a roster ahead of training camp. However, the longer he remains available, the less likely a marriage with the Nets seems.