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BROOKLYN NETS: state of the franchise

State of the Franchise

Projected Cap Space (before luxury tax): $0 million

Background: It may seem like ages ago, but it was only the 2012 free agency when the Brooklyn Nets put together likely the worst offseason of all time, one that still haunts them today and will continue to do so until PG Deron Williams’ contract comes off the books in three years. Williams, considered possibly the best point guard in the league at the time, was debating between re-signing with the Brooklyn Nets (then in New Jersey) or signing with the Mavericks in his hometown of Dallas. Unfortunately for the Nets, he decided to sign a 5 year/$98 million max deal, and even worse, the Nets took it. But as if ruining the future of the franchise for the next five years wasn’t enough, the Nets had to make sure they completely messed it up. They made sure they were unable to spend a single penny for the next four years while not being the least bit competitive. They traded many key role players, SG Anthony Morrow and SF DeShawn Stevenson among them, and a draft pick for SG Joe Johnson’s 4 year/$90 million contract from the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson’s combination of lack of talent and horrible contract made him one of those guys that you dump off on another team along with draft picks and get nothing in return, but the Nets still coughed up a first rounder. In addition, Gerald Wallace, now one of the worst players in the NBA, was signed to a 4 year/$40 million deal, and injury-prone center Brook Lopez was signed to a 4 year/$60 million pact. Keep in mind that the payroll limit before the luxury tax is $76.8 million, even lower back then, and the Nets spent $67 million on these four players alone. An NBA roster consists of 13-15 players, and nobody can be signed for less than $940,000, and those are the very worst players in the NBA. You do the math. In addition, all of these contracts ran for at least four years, and not one of these players even produced half of what they signed for on the court. But the Nets weren’t done ruining their future. The following offseason, they dealt three first round picks (2014, 2016, and 2018) to the Boston Celtics as well as several key role players in exchange for PF Kevin Garnett, SF Paul Pierce, and SG Jason Terry, though they did dump Wallace’s contract on Boston. Those three first-rounders could have been used to dump Williams’ contract on someone, and perhaps even Johnson’s deal as well. This decision allowed the Nets to put together an all-washed-up-and-injury-prone starting five of Williams, Johnson, Pierce, Garnett, and Lopez in 2013-2014, though these five did have 35 all-star appearances between them. However, the season did not go as the front office had planned. The Nets, despite an NBA-record $101 million plus payroll, finished at just 44-38 and the sixth seed in the weak Eastern Conference, and were eliminated in the second round by the Miami Heat. That summer, Pierce left in free agency simply because the Nets could not afford to pay him, nor could they afford to find a replacement. With their hands tied financially and no infusion of talent coming anytime soon from the draft due to a lack of picks, it will be a long time before Brooklyn is competitive again.

Current Financial State: With over $76 million committed already in contracts next year, the Brooklyn Nets are already at the luxury tax. Of that $76 million, $63 million of it is committed to Williams, Johnson, and Lopez, with Garnett’s $12 million coming off the books this year.  However, the Nets are actively shopping all three of their big contracts, eagerly attempting to find any takers. For now, however, the Nets are very tied down financially. Don’t expect any major newcomers in Brooklyn until these contracts expire.

Targets: Anybody. Literally anybody in a trade, as Brooklyn cannot sign anybody in free agency with their current cap dilemma. Their targets are written as they are because the Nets are trying to trade away the contracts of Lopez, Williams, and Johnson, and they should and will take anybody necessary to get rid of these three players, as long as the incomers have a short term contract. The Nets are trying to trade these contracts because owner Mikhail Prokhorov is trying to sell the team, and reducing the check another owner has to write would make purchasing the Nets all the more attractive. This is a shame, because the one aspect the Nets really did have going for them was Prokhorov’s willingness to pay the hefty luxury tax bill. Brook Lopez, in particular, is drawing actual interest from several teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets, and the Miami Heat, a team that has been in the market for a center for quite a few years now. Any contracts that the Nets would have to take back in order to get rid of Lopez are worth it in this situation. The Kings had rumored interest in Williams, but talks have died down as of late. The main issue with any of these trades, even assuming a team was willing to take on one of these contracts, is making the money work. It’s hard to even out $20 million plus in a trade, especially when the Nets aren’t trying to get any long-term deals. However, the Lakers have a variety of expiring deals this year that they could use to acquire one of these players, while the Kings do not. One trade that could work is as follows: The Lakers send the large expiring contracts of PG’s Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin, as well as Ryan Kelly’s small 2 year/$3.5 million deal. The Nets would in turn be able to send PG Deron Williams. Of course, the Nets would need to add some sort of sweetener to make this deal work, and without any picks to give (thanks, Pierce and Garnett), it would have to be outstanding second year Duke product, C Mason Plumlee. Plumlee is one of the few young talents the Nets have, but that’s the price you must pay to get rid of Williams and his contract. From the Nets’ perspective, this trade makes sense. They get rid of Williams’ contract while taking on no long-term deals, other than Kelly’s small contract that carries into next year. Losing Plumlee hurts, but it is well worth it. From the Lakers perspective, Williams’ contract runs past the loaded 2016 free agent class, but Plumlee more than compensates for that. Averaging 10 points on 59% shooting as well as 7 rebounds and a block per game, Plumlee could pair nicely with rookie PF Julius Randle for a potential frontcourt of the future in LA. Brooklyn could really use a break after what it has been through the past couple of off-seasons , and this is a prime opportunity for one.

The Fit: Well, ummm… hmmm. This is a tough one. As the Nets’ targets are “anybody”, it is hard to necessarily say how that fits on the basketball court. Of course, the Nets overall would be a worse team this season as a result of, say that trade with the Lakers, but it will no doubt help them in the long run. Guys like Lin and Nash would fight for minutes at point guard along with PG Jarrett Jack. The Nets would have no interest in keeping around either of these point guards long term, as they both come off the books next year. Kelly is sort of redundant with PF Mirza Teletovic, so he also does not figure to have a long-term role with the franchise. Remember, the only reason these guys are in the trade is for salary cap purposes, and to even out the $20+ million contract of Williams annually. Getting rid of Lopez and perhaps Johnson do seem like genuine possibilities, as the former has garnered interest from Miami, Denver, and Oklahoma City, while the latter has turned heads in Charlotte and might be a good fit in New Orleans. Good luck getting rid of those contracts, Brooklyn. You’re going to need it.
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