The Brooklyn Nets and Sean Marks look to be done making moves this summer. Here are the definitive rankings for all the big moves.
The Brooklyn Nets are in another transitional year. The rebuild was slow, but there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. GM Sean Marks was extremely creative this offseason in ways that improved the current Nets roster without sacrificing long-term goals.
The Nets are positioned to have enough salary cap to add two max contracts next offseason. But in order to attract the high-level talent who could garner a max contract, the Nets have to show a steady improvement this season. It’s a fine line that Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson must walk.
The front office was tasked with bringing in players that could help the Nets be competitive this season. They may even have their sights set on the playoffs in a diluted Eastern Conference. It’s still a long shot, but crazier things have happened.
In order to understand the importance of each offseason move, it’s vital to keep the team’s short-term goals in mind, while maintaining a firm grasp on the long-term goals. It’s a delicate balancing act, but in reality, the long-term goals should supersede the short-term desire to win.
Here is each major move of the offseason ranked from worst to best. And to be clear, even the “worst” moves made this offseason won’t break Brooklyn’s back. Marks showed extreme caution this summer to preserve the ultimate goals. It just so happens that some moves are better than others.
#9 Signing Treveon Graham
It almost feels unfair to put Treveon Graham at the bottom of this list. Graham signed a two-year deal worth $3 million—the first year is fully guaranteed while the second is not. It’s certainly not a high-risk move for Brooklyn.
The problem with this move is finding a spot in the rotation for the VCU-alum. The shooting guard is joining a team with a logjam at the guard position. In fact, Brooklyn traded away a proven, veteran guard this offseason to clear playing time for some of the younger players—but more on that later.
Calling this a bad move is wrong because the Nets are risking very little. Describing this move as a low-impact move is probably a much more fair assessment. Graham certainly brings a valuable skill set, but it’s unclear how much he’ll get to showcase it.
He shoots the ball well from three (44 percent for his career) and he can defend multiple positions. Two extremely valuable tools for a player in today’s NBA. If nothing else, Graham provides depth if the injury bug bites the Nets and perhaps he’ll surprise some people this year.
