Free Agency Thread: Brooklyn Nets next steps
Starting at 6:00 p.m., NBA free agency opens, permitting teams to make calls, conclude deals etc. to flesh out their rosters, maybe make some trades. Could get interesting. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for the Brooklyn Nets and their fans.
First, the Tsai family sold 15% of BSE Global, holding company for the Nets, Liberty and Barclays Center, to the Koch family at an astronomical price. Then, they made two shocking trades on Tuesday. First, Sean Marks & co. sent Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a slew of future first round picks. Then, they reacquired two of their own picks lost in the James Harden trade way back in 2021, giving up some of draft assets from the Kevin Durant trade. Finally, the Nets didn’t get into the NBA Draft but by week’s end they had piled up 16 first round picks and 12 seconds from now until 2013. That’s up from 11 and 10 a week earlier in the month. That’s Oklahoma City territory! And in the midst of it all, Brooklyn got Nic Claxton to agree to a four-year, $100 million contract. It was the biggest contract the franchise had ever given a homegrown talent.
Rebuild indeed.
Free Agency so far
Starting at 6:00 p.m. ET Sunday, the Nets will have yet another opportunity to remake their roster, push their rebuild even further as free agency opens. There’s been some movement already. The Nets extended Trendon Watford a qualifying offer on Friday, making him a restricted free agent. That will mean that if he gets a competing offer, the Nets can match...
The #Nets will extend a qualifying offer to Trendon Watford by today's deadline, sources told the Post. That will make the 23-year-old forward a restricted free agent. #NBA— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) June 29, 2024
However, it appears that Lonnie Walker IV will not be back. There was little ambiguity in his Saturday afternoon tweet...
I ain’t even reach my prime yet yall gonna see soon. The apology better be just as loud as the disrespect— Lonnie Walker IV (@lonniewalker_4) June 29, 2024
Other players, other decisions
There’s still no word, official or otherwise, on a couple of Brooklyn’s other free agents. Did the Nets extend qualifying offers to two-way players Jacob Gilyard and Keon Johnson. They could have done that Saturday. Jaylen Martin, the third two-way from last year’s roster, is already under contract this season. The Nets are high on the 20-year-old Florida wing who signed three two-way deals last season, one with Brooklyn, two with New York but didn’t get into an NBA game.
Knicks trade not done
Then, there’s possibility that the Bridges trade could be re-worked. Without getting into the details of the new CBA, the Knicks need to find a way to avoid the getting hard capped at the first apron. If they can somehow add salary — another player — to the Bridges deal, the problem goes away. There’s been speculation, but not much more, that a young Knicks player, perhaps Deuce McBride, the Knicks 23-year-old back up point guard, or Precious Achiwura, a 24-year-old back-up big, could wind up in Brooklyn.
On Sunday, Bobby Marks said he believes the Knicks will eventually add another contract.
Starting at 3:00 minutes in, Marks talked about how things got this way and how the Knicks get out of it...
“I would expect it to get finalized by July 6th , I would expect for the trade to expand and for the Knicks to add another player to the mix,” said Marks. “Whether it’s a player on their roster or a player used in a sign-and-trade.”
But not everyone thinks the Knicks will use the Bridges trade to find relief from the CBA. There are indeed other options. Ian Begley of SNY wrote this Sunday:
The Knicks have virtually no interest in trading Miles McBride as part of the Mikal Bridges acquisition, according to people familiar with the matter. Remember, the Knicks still need to add money to that trade so they can avoid being hard-capped at the first apron. The current version of the trade would leave them capped at a team salary of around $178 million. They are surely searching for ways to avoid that hard-cap. They can do so by sending out more salary in the Bridges trade than they are taking in.nx
Stay tuned. July 6 is a week from Monday.
Possible trades
The Nets also have their own free agents who could be traded. Good players but with the impending rebuild, they may be less valuable to the Nets than they would be to a contender. Cam Johnson appears to be the most attractive with reports of interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings. Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bodganovic and Dennis Schroder, all 30-something, may also get offers. What might the Nets want back. Draft assets but also players who could fill gaps like a playmaker or a back-up forward.
It’s all about flexibility.
The bottom line for the Nets is that they want to add to their flexibility. They used that flexibility to move picks for Bridges. They still have some wiggle room — about $17 million below the luxury tax threshold — to make their own trades. The question now is how much flexibility does Brooklyn want going forward.
Nets could still make major roster moves despite free agent limitation - Brian Lewis - New York Post
Nets expected to give Trendon Watford qualifying offer in latest rebuild move - Brian Lewis - New York Post
Why Mikal Bridges may not be the last Nets veteran on the move this summer - Brian Lewis - New York Post
Nets Notebook: Post-draft analysis, free agency goals, confirmed Exhibit 10 deals and more ($) - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
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