The Brooklyn Nets certainly did not make a splash in free agency, but there are positives that can be extracted from their efforts.
It has been an underwhelming free agency for the Brooklyn Nets, but expectations weren’t very high this off-season anyway. Surprisingly, Brooklyn was actually quite active in pursuing some of the top-level available free agents.They’ve managed to sign guard Jeremy Lin, big-man Justin Hamilton, and forward Trevor Booker. In addition, they’re expected to sign guards Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe to offer sheets sometime this week.
Some of the other free agents they aggressively pursued were Marvin Williams, Kent Bazemore, and even Jamal Crawford. Obviously Brooklyn came up short with these signings, but all three stayed with their respective teams.
It is evident that Nets general manager Sean Marks hasn’t wasted any time on rebuilding this roster for the future.
I really like Sean Marks throwing 4-year offer sheets at good young guards with runway to get better.
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) July 3, 2016
After being announced as the new GM only a few months ago, he has done great work revamping an aging roster.
A few weeks ago, there were some rumors circulating that Marks had been planning to trade Brook Lopez. In reality, if you’re Marks, it’s important to keep Lopez for a variety of reasons.
He’s still a talented prototypical big-man, and on-paper he is still the team’s star. Not necessarily the franchise player, but he’s the best on the team. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a deal get done as early as next season’s trade deadline.
For the most part, the Nets seem to be finished with their off-season moves and look to focus on the upcoming NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. That’s where developing all of the young up and coming talent that is on the roster comes into play.
Led by head coach Kenny Atkinson, guys like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Sean Kilpatrick, and Chris McCullough will all be looking to improve their game and prepare for next season given that they will likely return to the team.
Guys like Yogi Ferrell and Isaiah Whitehead will likely impress, but will find themselves in the D-League with the new Long Island Nets, which will make their team debut this upcoming season.
Next offseason will be an indicator for the Nets’ future. Especially since the salary cap has been set at $94.143 million for the upcoming 2016-17 season and the tax level at $113.287 million.
It definitely wasn’t the offseason the Nets were hoping for, but it was a successful one in which they added some young bodies. The patience factor may help them make a splash summer.
