Though Duke superfrosh Cooper Flagg is the top projected pick, his classmate Kon Knueppel spent much of the past month being linked to the Nets.

In a contract year, Sharpe is facing the prospect of being dealt by 3 p.m. Thursday or looking at restricted free agency in the summer. 

After seeing arguably the Nets’ best rim protection of the season fuel their easiest rout of the year, it begs the obvious question: Where had this been? 

The Nets snapped their longest losing skid of the season with a slump-busting 103-84 win against the shorthanded Hornets in Charlotte, N.C.

It seems like a third of the teams in the NBA are tanking — OK, trying — to get Duke star Cooper Flagg. The Nets are among them.