Rebuilding the Nets’ roster has been a slow and challenging process, due in large part to the 2013 trade that gave the Celtics control of several of Brooklyn’s future first-round picks. Heading into the 2017 offseason, the Nets at least owned the Celtics’ pick as a result of a pick swap, and they held the Wizards’ first-rounder as well. But those selections both fell in the 20s — the Nets’ own pick, held by Boston, landed at No. 1 overall.
Refusing to dwell on the fact that a trade made by the old regime cost the present-day Nets a chance to draft a possible franchise player, Brooklyn’s current management group made the most of the assets at its disposal as the team sought out an impact guy. This meant leveraging the Nets’ remaining draft picks and cap room in trades with the Lakers, Raptors, and Trail Blazers to secure rotation players, future picks, and one potential star.
Given their limited assets, the Nets weren’t able to transform the roster from bottom-dweller to legit contender over the summer, but the front office did impressive work this offseason adding talent while maintaining future flexibility. By the time Brooklyn regains control of its own first-round pick in 2019, the club should be well on its way to building a roster capable of returning to the playoffs.
Key offseason losses:
The loss of longtime franchise mainstay Brook Lopez shouldn’t be understated. The veteran center had been with the Nets – first in New Jersey and more recently in Brooklyn – since being selected 10th overall in the 2008 draft. A steady presence in the middle whose yearly scoring average always hovered around 20 PPG, Lopez added a new wrinkle to his game in 2016/17, making 1.8 threes per game at a 34.6% rate.
With Lopez on track to reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018, it made sense for the Nets to move on from him when they did. But he was a big reason why Brooklyn was occasionally competitive last season, and the club will miss him up front — and maybe even beyond the arc.
The rest of the Nets’ departures won’t have as significant an impact on the club’s on-court performance. Archie Goodwin, K.J. McDaniels, and Andrew Nicholson barely saw any action, and Justin Hamilton and Randy Foye were rotation pieces that can be replaced without much trouble.
Key offseason additions:
Denied a top-three pick of their own in this year’s draft, the Nets got the next-best thing, acquiring 2015’s second overall pick D’Angelo Russell in a trade with the Lakers. With Lonzo Ball arriving on the scene in Los Angeles, Russell – whose work ethic and drive were reportedly questioned in Los Angeles – became expendable. But the third-year point guard is still just 21 years old, and the flashes of potential he showed on the court during his first two seasons suggest that he’s a very worthwhile investment for a Nets team desperately seeking high-upside players.
In order to get their hands on Russell, the Nets had to take on Timofey Mozgov‘s expensive multiyear contract, and that wasn’t the last time this offseason that Brooklyn acquired assets through their willingness to take on another team’s unwanted salary. Having had an aggressive offer sheet for Otto Porter matched by the Wizards, the Nets went out and used most of their remaining cap room in trades for DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe, a duo earning a combined $34MM+ in 2017/18.
While the purpose of the Carroll trade for the Nets was to pick up a couple 2018 draft picks, the veteran forward himself could be an interesting piece for the team if his health problems are behind him. Carroll struggled through two injury-plagued seasons in Toronto, but had previously proven to be a solid three-and-D wing in Atlanta.
As for Crabbe, the Nets acquired him a little over a year after giving him his current contract as a restricted free agent — the Trail Blazers matched that offer sheet in 2016, but with a massive tax bill looming, Portland relented and sent him to Brooklyn a year later to clear his lucrative contract from the books. Moving Nicholson’s unwanted contract in the swap allowed the Nets to essentially reduce the price tag on Crabbe a little for the next few seasons, while adding an intriguing shooter and scorer to their rotation.
With most of the Nets’ major additions coming via trade, the club was fairly quiet in free agency once its offer sheet for Porter was matched, with Tyler Zeller representing the only notable signing. Brooklyn further bolstered its frontcourt by drafting rookie center Jarrett Allen in June.
Outlook for 2017/18:
Although the Nets were likely disappointed in 2016 not to land any of the restricted free agents they signed to offer sheets, the team may have been fortunate in those instances. With big-money deals for Tyler Johnson and Donatas Motiejunas on their cap this year, the Nets would have had limited flexibility to make the sort of moves they did during the offseason.
Russell is the first potential star the team has landed during its rebuild, and the front office continues to acquire promising young complementary pieces, this summer adding Crabbe and Allen to the core.
Of course, despite steering their ship in the right direction, the Nets appear to be in store for another year in the lottery without their own first-round pick to show for it at season’s end. That’s a discouraging reality for fans, but Brooklyn is starting to compile some pieces that will be a part of the next Nets playoff team. It will just require some patience as the club continues to develop and grow.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
