Slam dunk for Nets’ Marks
GM pulls off a gem of deal in shipping Jordan to the Pistons
If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try it again. Nets GM Sean Marks has heeded Aaliyah’s great words. One season after losing to Suns GM James Jones in the NBA’s Executive of the Year race, Marks is back in the lab again. Except this time, he’s got an even better case.
Maybe he had some dirt on Pistons GM Troy Weaver. Maybe he promised a future favor, or maybe the Pistons owed the Nets a favor from the past. Either way, this marks the second time the Nets have fleeced Detroit’s management: first in the Dzanan Musa-Bruce Brown swap, and now in the DeAndre Jordan trade that somehow netted Sekou Doumbouya — the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft — for just four future second-round picks and cash.
Jordan has long been outside the rotation, making his four-year, $40 million contract unpalatable. The Nets got rid of him — regardless of his relationship with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden — for second-rounders they may never have used, anyway. And they get Doumbouya, a versatile defender and streaky shooter who didn’t do much in his first two seasons. But in his defense, neither did the Pistons.
Meanwhile, the Nets got rid of Jordan without buying out his contract. Instead, the Pistons have agreed to buyout the remaining two years worth $20 million for $16 million instead, keeping that dead cap space off the Nets’ books.
The Jordan deal is the icing on the cake for Marks, who already has an Executive of the Yearlike offseason resume. Now the Nets just need the appropriate number of wins — 65 should do it — to cement his bid for the award.
Marks’ offseason began with a diamond in the rough: He drafted the reigning Summer League Co-MVP Cam Thomas 27th overall, then selected a glass-cleaner in Day’Ron Sharpe two picks later. Thomas is unlikely to play big minutes for the Nets this season, but he could be a player they build around after the Big 3 era.
Or he could headline a mid-season trade package should a disgruntled veteran demand a trade elsewhere. Marks loaded the Nets while somehow maintaining roster flexibility.
Marks’ offseason continued: He signed Durant to a four-year max contract extension on the same day Durant led Team USA to gold. That puts one of the league’s best players in Brooklyn through 2026. Deals for Harden and Irving aren’t yet complete, but negotiations are underway.
Marks signed Patty Mills, the longtime San Antonio Spurs sixth man and 2014 NBA champion who led Team Australia to its first bronze medal this summer. He did right by Spencer Dinwiddie, agreeing to a signand-trade with the Wizards that returned an $11.3 million trade exception the Nets can use later. He signed veteran forward and former All-Star Paul Millsap, though at 36 years old, the jury is out on how productive he will be. Marks also re-signed former All-Star big man LaMarcus Aldridge, who abruptly retired last season due to a heart condition but has since been medically cleared, both by independent and Nets team doctors.
And when you thought there wasn’t room on the page, Marks added a second page to his resume: He added James Johnson as an enforcer and culture-setter, signed DeAndre Bembry likely to replace Alize Johnson, who was waived on Friday, and re-signed both Bruce Brown and Blake Griffin, who each could have signed at a higher salary elsewhere but stayed in Brooklyn for one more season.
Of course, Marks has competition: The Lakers re-upped by trading for Russell Westbrook and signing Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk. The Bulls now project to rise into the playoff picture after adding DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball to their duo of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. The Heat re-signed Victor Oladipo and traded for Kyle Lowry, and the Clippers got some style points for re-signing Kawhi Leonard.
No team has done what the Nets have done, though. Sean Marks has transformed this franchise from one of the worst-performing in the league to must-see TV. The scary part is they’re not done yet. Marks has made it clear he will continue tinkering with this roster until it is bulletproof, that trades aren’t off the table, and that neither are additions on the buyout market after the deadline.
In truth, his peers should have seen enough. Marks didn’t win it last year. The case for him this season is too strong to ignore.