The Brooklyn Nets made some quiet moves in free agency and are likely not quite finished. General manager Sean Marks re-signed Joe Harris to a 2 year – $16 million dollar deal, signed Ed Davis to a 1 year – $4.4 million dollar deal, and bought out Dwight Howard, mainly as a final move after shedding Timofey Mozgov’s albatross of a contract (2 years and $32 million). None of these moves, nor the current roster should have Nets fans excited about the 2018 season. But, what it does is free up a ton of cap space in 2019. That, coupled with the Nets owning their 2019 first-round draft pick for the first time since the infamous Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett heist is cause for optimism.
The Nets will have cap space to sign two max players in the summer of 2019 and with names like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Boogie Cousins, and Kyrie Irving available, the Nets could actually be serious players in free agency. It all begins with ownership’s willingness to do whatever is necessary to win. (Read: spend money on top talent). That will likely be the toughest job for this current Nets group to prove until they actually do it. With co-owners Mikhail Prokhorov and Joseph Tsai steering the ship it is unclear what the future and vision for the franchise are. Will Tsai eventually acquire controlling interest and is the top priority building a title contender or increasing valuation with overseas partnerships and building the franchise as a global brand? Will the desire for global relevance come into conflict with going deep into the luxury tax to build a winner? Becoming a global brand and building a contender are not mutually exclusive, but seems to have the potential for pitfalls if not managed very carefully.
The other key component is culture and coaching. Head coach Kenny Atkinson has done a tremendous job in this respect. Players around the league laud the Nets playing style and Atkinson is a believer in positionless basketball, motion, and turning down good shots to get great ones. He also preaches defense and holds his players accountable. The culture, despite the losing, is also one that fosters camaraderie. Nets players enjoy representing the city, specifically, Brooklyn, are active in the community and enjoy playing for the organization. Marks continues to do what is necessary to make the organization first class and move past the mess of the former regime. As 2019 approaches, he can definitely start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
As to what the team will look like on the court and where the Nets could possibly wind up in 2019, the sky’s the limit. The Nets won’t have any player on the books making significant money beyond 2019, except for Allen Crabbe. He will be on the final year of his deal, earning approximately $19 million. A lot of money for his expected value no doubt, but a valuable trade piece as an expiring contract. After Crabbe, DeMarre Carroll and Jeremy Lin are the team’s highest-paid players. Both will be unrestricted free agents and it’s unlikely they bring either of them back. If anyone comes back it could be Lin in a backup role after he tests the market. If the Nets goal is to seriously contend, paying a combined $27 million annually to that duo won’t get it done. Then there is D’Angelo Russell who no doubt wants to sign his rookie extension. But, the Nets will be in no rush to do that. They’ll likely let the 22-year-old hit restricted free agency. The oft-injured guard shows flashes. But, can he be the lead player on a playoff team? There’s a reason the Lakers were willing to let him go. Snitching notwithstanding. Then there’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who will also be ready for an extension. The Nets like his energy and what he provides, but how much do they want to lock him up for? All that is to say the Nets will look vastly different in 2019.
Attracting a top-tier free agent like the ones previously mentioned will still take a herculean sell job by the ownership group, Marks, and Atkinson. The Nets have no recent winning to speak of, and it’s not like the franchise history resonates with the current NBA stars. But, if this regime can convince the right player that he would be the start of something historic, maybe even iconic; bringing the first championship to Brooklyn and being the King(s) of New York (sorry Knicks fans) then 2019 could be the start of a new era in Brooklyn Nets basketball.
Now for the good stuff. What might some of these possible free agent signings look like?…
Flip the pages for possible signing scenarios.