Marks imprinting personal style on Nets recruitment
WHEN Kiwi Sean Marks was hired as general manager of the Brooklyn Nets in 2016, he inherited a massive mess. It would be three more years before the team would have control of its first-round pick, and its roster largely was devoid of talent.
That’s why Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently called the situation Marks inherited ‘‘the worst hand to play with as a GM of anybody in the history of this league’’, a remark that elicited little to no contradictions.
Marks has spent the past 18 months solely focused on accumulating as many assets as he can.
That’s meant taking on bad contracts to add draft picks. That’s meant throwing big money offer sheets to restricted free agents such as Tyler Johnson, Allen Crabbe, Donatas Motiejunas and Otto Porter. And that’s meant making trades such as Friday’s, when Marks sent Trevor Booker – and his US$9 million expiring contract – to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas and a 2019 second-round pick.
‘‘It’s about having some patience, the need for patience’’ Marks said on Friday.
‘‘We’re not trying to get this all back in one fell swoop, or anything like that. We’ll see what opportunities arise over the next year or 18 months, two years, three years and so forth. [That is] the same thing we’ve done over the last 18 months.’’
For an asset-deprived team, the Okafor trade makes plenty of sense.
It’s the classic ‘‘second draft’’ scenario: Find a player who was a high draft pick (Okafor was the third pick in 2015) who has fallen on hard times, and then hope that a change of scenery leads to a change in performance. The Washington Post GETTY IMAGES
Marks made a similar move in June, trading Brook Lopez – and his US$22.6m expiring contract – and a 2017 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for D’Angelo Russell, the No 2 pick in 2015, and Timofey Mozgov.
In both instances, Marks was betting on potential, and determined it was worth giving up a variety of assets – between cap space, players and draft picks – to acquire a pair of 21-year-olds who, not long ago, were considered to be stars in the making.
That’s not to say both came without risk.
Russell has played well when healthy but has been out for three weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, and has dealt with injury issues.
Mozgov, on the other hand, has done nothing to change the notion that his average of US$16m in salary for this season and the next two, is the definition of dead money.
The Okafor trade comes with far less risk, but arguably also far less potential value. He averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds as a rookie, but a knee injury derailed his season last year, and the emergence of Joel Embiid as a leaguechanging force relegated Okafor to the scrap heap at the Sixers.
But acquiring undervalued assets and rehabilitating them into valued ones is an essential part of the Nets’ plan.
That’s where the other important aspect of the path Marks has taken the Nets down comes in: a reliance on his coaching staff, led by coach Kenny Atkinson, to be able to develop the talent he’s given.
‘‘Well, I think in any trade or acquisition, you’re essentially going to bet on your staff,’’ Marks said. ‘‘That’s what we’ll do.’’