The Brooklyn Nets were extremely busy in this offseason, even if they mostly only made small deals. However, these moves could have a major impact on the future as Brooklyn has now disposed of most of its legacy. There is a bit of a sense of optimism again in the New York district.
Nets-GM Sean Marks was very busy in summer, although some moves flew a bit under the radar. But the trade caused a sensation for Dwight Howard, who was taken from Charlotte before the draft and immediately released. The center joined the Washington Wizards a little later. In return, the remaining salary of Timofey Mozgov (2 years, 32.7 million) was sold.
Otherwise, the Nets used their cap space cleverly. From Denver came by trade the expiring contracts of Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur, who was handed over to Phoenix shortly afterwards for Jared Dudley and a second round pick in 2021 (Top 35 protected).
Jeremy Lin was also sent to the Atlanta Hawks and two second-round picks (2020, 2025) and a possible pick-swap from Second Rounder went into the Nets’ box in 2023. In the draft Brooklyn did not have his own pick for the last time (Celtics-Trade, you remember?), but the Nets moved to position 29 Dzanan Musa and in the second round the Latvian Rodions Kurucs.
The Nets also made some small commitments in the Free Agency. From Portland came the free agents Shabazz Napier (2 years, 3.8 million, team option) and Big Man Ed Davis (1, 4.4 million), plus Treveon Graham (2, 3.2 million), a 3 and D specialist from Charlotte. Joe Harris (2.16 million) was the company’s most important free agent for another two years.
On the other hand, Jahlil Okafor will no longer wear the net jersey. After only a few months the experiment with the former No.3 pick is finished, he joined the Pelicans. Also out of Brooklyn are Nik Stauskas (Portland), Dante Cunningham (San Antonio) and Quincy Acy, who is still looking for a new team.
All moves made during this off-season point to a big goal: the Free Agency 2019; only the Indiana Pacers could – as of next summer – have more cap space than Brooklyn, which even have room for two maximum contracts at $65 million. The main reason for Brooklyn’s decision was to get short-term contracts on board – see also the summer’s obligations.
Hell, the Nets aren’t gonna chase a star. According to Marks, the team should not be built around a single player; instead, the team should remain the star. The San Antonio Spurs, whose school passed through GM Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson, are naturally regarded as role models.
Who now believes that the Nets will give away this season is wrapped crooked. Brooklyn wants to win games in the coming season, develop the young players and continue to work on the image of a quiet and reputable franchise that the organization has become since the duo’s arrival.
“The word tanking does not exist for us in the coming season. We want to establish a healthy culture in our organization. Nobody wants to see tanking in New York,” Marks recently made clear. The partly underutilized Barclays Center has to be filled up again, to be relevant, especially because the neighbour from Manhattan is only a little better off.
This is somewhat inconsistent with Marks’ statements, but ultimately it’s stars who decide about victory and defeat in the Association – and Brooklyn doesn’t have nearly one player of that caliber. The closest thing to the D’Angelo Russell is that the Guard could one day become an all-star rider.
According to Atkinson, Russell worked hard during the off-season and is finally fit again after the former Lakers player had to take a long break due to an injury and was then looking for his form in the spring. “He understands the game and he wants to achieve a lot with basketball,” believes Atkinson. It’s also time for Russell, who will be Restricted Free Agent next summer and wants to recommend himself for a high-end contract.
But even if Russell is convinced, the Nets will probably not play for the playoffs – the list of deficiencies is correspondingly long. There are hardly any capable defenders in the Guard positions, and at the same time there are no players who can also create their own throw. But that doesn’t play a big role, because the season will also be used for such players to try their luck in unfamiliar roles.
The General Manager must be mentioned here. When the franchise was completely on the ground at the beginning of 2016 and the aftermath of the momentous Pierce Garnett trade from 2013 was felt, he brought peace to the organisation and conscientiously cleaned up the shards of his predecessor Billy King.
In a good two years the Nets will be back in a good position. The pay roll has been cleared out, and next summer, after five years, the Nets will actually have their own first-round pick and that of the nuggets from the Faried trade available again.
But even without a high pick, the Nets made good draft decisions, as the case of Jarrett Allen shows. The center was selected at position 22 and could become one of the cornerstones of the future along with Russell. In his rookie season, the youngster with the huge Afro showed promising approaches and could represent the modern fiver that protects the ring at the back and can be used variably in attacks. Under the guidance of veteran Davis, the former Texas Center may make its final breakthrough in its second season.
It wasn’t spectacular what the Nets did in the off-season, but it makes a lot of sense. The young players have been joined by some veterans with short-term contracts to take the youngsters by the hand. But Dudley and Co. won’t take away a lot of playing time, so the development won’t be slowed down.
This helps the Nets to follow a two-pronged timetable. On the one hand, the Free Agencys 2019 and 2020 are in an excellent position with enormous cap flexibility; on the other hand, the Nets would probably continue on their path if no star opted for Brooklyn.
After three seasons, in which the Nets never won more than 28 games, a little light can be seen at the end of the tunnel. This franchise is on the right track and should be respected again in the coming season. The old braids of the past are finally cut off, now the view can be directed towards the future.
The grade: 2