Breaking Down Each Team’s Offseason Priorities
#28 — Brooklyn Nets
Over the course of the next few weeks, I’ll break down what each NBA team needs to do this offseason, working from the worst record in 2015–16 to the best. Today, it’s the Brooklyn Nets — the only franchise to represent a borough, and the only team ever to have traded away 83 years’ worth of first round draft picks in one deal. But hey, at least KG and Paul Pierce had nice, long careers in BK. Full disclosure — the Nets are actually my second favorite franchise, so I’ve got a soft spot for them even though they’re terrible. The good news is that I have some ideas about how they can get better sooner. As a backup plan, I got some ideas about how they get more “Brooklyn” too.
Build Something Decent, Blow It All Up, or Both?
Anyone who’s paying attention can tell you the Nets are not going to win this year with their current roster. However, that doesn’t mean that they’ll have any high draft picks to look forward to, as Boston owns their picks for the next millennium — Brooklyn won’t own its own first round pick until 2019. So the question is — should they make a run at some mediocre free agents, or completely blow up their roster to get some kind of value in return? Perhaps there’s a way they can do both.
Nets fans shouldn’t count on KD, DeRozan, Barnes, Conley, Whiteside, or any other marquee free agents to “spread love” the “Brooklyn way.” However, with nearly $40 million in cap space to spend this summer, Brooklyn might be able to throw some money at above average free agents or stars with checkered pasts. Depending on how successful they start the season, Brooklyn could either continue on with an effort to win, or trade their newly acquired guys to contending teams in need of a boost before the trade deadline in February in return for young prospects and draft picks. Stay with me here.
Option 1: Sign Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, JR Smith, Luis Scola, and Matt Barnes
A lot of this depends on what other teams are willing to give these aforementioned players, but my gut tells me that Brooklyn can get them at relatively reasonable rates. I keep hearing that Dwight will command a max deal, but I also hear that his reputation precedes him, and he might not get the money he wants. Dwight has wanted to go to Brooklyn since back in his Magic days because of its market size and because its fresh history means he can become a franchise legend — that kinda shit matters to the egomaniac in Dwight. Maybe they can get him for 3 years, $60 million with a player option after years one and two. If Rondo is still on a league-wide shit list, he might be attainable at a reasonable rate as well. J.R. Smith’s Finals performance might have made him a hot commodity, but his rep around the league is still somewhat negative. Scola is a good guy, but his age and productivity means he’ll be a bargain, and the same can be said for Barnes (except the “good guy” part — Matt Barnes will kill you).
If Brooklyn can get some combination of these guys, or guys of their same makeup — veteran, proven, but for some reason or another, a bit undervalued — then they might actually have a solid squad in the East that fans can enjoy watching. If they prove to be successful, run with it! Maybe even add some guys via trades throughout the season. However, if they prove to be failures, run with that too! Ship them, their skills, and their favorable contracts to contending squads at the deadline and take what you get. Dwight for a young, middle-tier upstart guy and a draft pick is a great deal! J.R. Smith for a late first rounder to a team who needs a three-point guy works out for everyone!
Option 2: Trade Brook Lopez for Whatever You Can Get
This is a tough, tough thing to do, given Lopez’s massive contract, injury history, and the fact that he’s 7 foot and doesn’t rebound. However, there’s a chance that a team in win-now mode might make a trade for Lopez. Oklahoma City tried a couple years ago — Brooklyn stupidly balked. At this point, the Nets should take whatever they can get for Lopez — even if it means shitty veterans with expiring deals and a second round pick or two. Lopez isn’t the answer in Brooklyn, and his massive deal only gets in the way of the Nets’ rebuilding effort.
One possible deal that works is Lopez to the Celtics for Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko. Boston and Brooklyn clearly have a history of working together, and if Boston is trying to invest in Jaylen Brown and Geurschon Yabusele as the Forwards of the future, then why keep Johnson and Jerebko? Boston still has viable Center Kelly Olynyk, but he’s more of a stretch 5, and Lopez would allow the Celtics to play a more traditional back-to-the-basket big man when they needed to. For Brooklyn, they unload Lopez for two expiring contracts. Johnson and Jerebko can come off the books in time to go after Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, and other free agents next offseason.
Option 3: Go “Brooklyn”
This plan really works in conjunction with either Option 1 or 2. If at any time Brooklyn decides to pack it in and wait for next offseason, whether that’s right now or in February after trading away whoever they sign this summer, then they should go out and get every Brooklynite they can. The idea came to me after Brooklyn traded for Isaiah Whitehead, the Seton Hall star and Coney Island product. The move, and subsequent marketing strategy, wreaked of “Ah, f*** it, give the people a local guy to cheer for.” So why not give them even more Brooklynite NBAers?
Trade Jarret Jack and Bojan Bogdanovic to Memphis for Lance Stephenson. The deal works economically, and it brings in Lance to join Whitehead in a backcourt that will make every game seem like a Lincoln High School Hall of Fame scrimmage.
Can you imagine how fun it would be to watch Whitehead and Stephenson ball hog and try to outdo each other every play? The Nets are going to lose anyway, so why not give the people something to show up for?
While they’re at it, go sign Sebastian Telfair to a veteran’s minimum deal. Telfair is 31 and last played NBA ball for OKC in 2014, so it’s not unthinkable that the guy could offer something — even if it’s just a warm body in practice. And shit, keep it going and bring back Stephon Marbury! He says he’ll never leave China, but he’s never had a Brooklyn-based team to play for before, and he might welcome a one year reunion with the Nets if they promised to play him at least 20 minutes per game.
Just imagine a small ball lineup of Starbury, Whitehead, and Stephenson, with Telfair coming off the bench. As long as Brooklynites have to wait a year for any kind of winning, why not give them some native sons to watch? Dedicate the season to the memory of Pearl Washington (which they should actually do regardless), fire this new coach now and hire Mark Jackson, and then fire the new GM and hire Chris Mullin! BroooOOOoooklyn, BroooOOOoooklyn, BroooOOOoooklyn….
Then Isaiah would do THIIIIIIIIIIIIS!!!!!!
Dem Bums — Wait’l Next Year
I still say the Nets should’ve changed their name to the Brooklyn Bums after leaving New Jersey — not as a diss, but rather as an ode to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers are named after trolley dodging bums who used to pepper Brooklyn streets in the early twentieth century, and the team was affectionately referred to as “Dem Bums” by locals. Another common saying among Brooklyn Dodgers fans was “Wait’l next year,” because the Dodgers seemed to fall short every season, but Brooklynites never lost hope that the next year would be different. Well, these bums conjure similar feelings. The Nets will likely strike out on big names this offseason, and look to try again next summer. At the very most, they’ll give too much money to Dwight Howard and hope that a productive season by him will lure a Griffin or Westbrook next summer. At the very least, they’ll stand pat and wait for teams to offer something for Lopez at the trade deadline in February. Oh well, wait’l next year Brooklyn!
