Nets won't chase stars... this year
After handing out big offer sheets the past two years, the Nets’ free agency should be more reserved — as in reserved for 2019.
The Nets won’t be chasing stars such as LeBron James or Paul George. Any progress is going to have to be made internally — at least until next summer.
The Nets will have $8-to-$12 million to spend, depending on bookkeeping, how much money Dwight Howard leaves on the table and potentially trading the likes of Jeremy Lin. But general manager Sean Marks has been hoarding cap space for 2019. He has worked to carve out enough flexibility to sign two max free agents next summer. He isn’t giving that up to chase Fool’s Gold.
“It’s definitely a huge, huge asset for us,” Marks told WFAN. “Now, how we use that cap room and when we use that cap room is yet to be determined. A lot of it, to be quite frank, is just having that flexibility, because you don’t know what’s going to come your way all the time. You can sit here and plan for X, Y, Z, and next thing you know you’re faced with something completely different.”
That flexibility will have been hard-earned through tough losses and lean years, this season is likely to be another one. They may not outwardly tank, but with their own pick for the first time since 2013 they’ll take their lumps in a long rebuild.
While the Nets have been linked to Clint Capela and Aaron Gordon, they aren’t even shopping in that neighborhood. At least not this year.
“A lot of it has to do with who wants to be here, who’s a good system fit, who fits this team’s trajectory. We don’t want to skip steps along the way here,” Marks said. “We’re slowly building. It’s going to take time, and we’re all aware of it. The coaching staff understands that, the ownership understands that. To try to fastforward or fast-track it can lead to mistakes.”
(Cough) That Boston trade. (Cough)
The Nets are slated to have the most practical cap space in the NBA next summer according to Spotrac, and will look to make a splash. This year, not so much.
They could try to swipe Lakers’ restricted free agent Julius Randle, who shares an agent (Aaron Mintz) and friendship with D’Angelo Russell.
Randle worked out with Russell last September, gave him a bear-hug upon his November return to Los Angeles and defended him after Lakers boss Magic Johnson ripped him.
But the Nets would still have to clear cap room to pursue Randle. That could mean selling low on Lin, trading the injured guard and his $12.5 million salary while his value is down.
Lin would have been an asset at last year’s trade deadline, but he ruptured his patellar tendon on Opening Night. It’s unsure if he has been cleared for contact yet. He could get shopped to Orlando (where his former coach, Steve Clifford, is in charge), or to Phoenix, as ESPN speculated, for Dragan Bender or Jared Dudley.
More likely, the Nets will make smaller moves. The Post reported their interest in unrestricted free agent Mario Hezonja, 23. He averaged 9.6 points, but 14.0 on 37.1 percent shooting from deep in 30 starts with the Magic.
Brooklyn’s top priority might be holding on to unrestricted free agent Joe Harris, who averaged 10.8 points on 41.9 percent from deep, both career-highs. As The Post reported in April, he could quadruple his $1.5 million salary.
If the Nets lose Harris, they must replace his shooting. They didn’t tender Nik Stauskas a $5.1 million qualifying, but could bring him back on a cheaper deal. If not, they can look to restricted free agents like Cleveland’s Rodney Hood or San Antonio’s stretchfour Davis Bertans, who was linked to them by Yahoo.
Nets bigs Jahlil Okafor, Quincy Acy and Dante Cunningham are all unrestricted free agents, and none are sure to be back in Brooklyn.
Okafor played just four of the last 24 games and doesn’t fit their mold of a modern big. They have until Saturday to pick up Isaiah Whitehead’s option, but save just $700,000 by letting him go. Brooklyn tendered two-way Milton Doyle a qualifying offer to make him an RFA.