The Brooklyn Nets kicked the tires on the 2023 offseason, parting ways with three members of their coaching staff. The move could be the first of many as the Nets enter the summer with a litany of question marks following the midseason trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
With that, I took some questions from Brooklyn fans in an offseason installment of my Nets mailbag:
In the scenario where the Nets don't land a star this offseason (a reality I'm preparing myself for), how high of a priority do you think adding a starting caliber lead guard should be for this team? -Ryan Neumann
If one thing was evident from the Nets' first-round sweep against Philadelphia, it's that they desperately need a high-level ball handler late in games. Spencer Dinwiddie had his moments after re-joining Brooklyn, ranking fifth in the league in assists at 9.1 per game. However, he disappeared in Games 1 and 2 and looked out of place while trying to carry the offense during crunch time of Games 3 and 4. Dinwiddie thrived with Dallas in a change-of-pace role alongside Luka Doncic, a position for which he was better suited compared to his heavy offensive load in Brooklyn.
In a perfect world, Dinwiddie returns to something resembling that Dallas role as a backup next season. However, it's difficult to envision the Nets landing a significant upgrade at the position outside of a star like Damian Lillard or Trae Young. Re-signing Cam Johnson will put Brooklyn in the luxury tax, meaning they'll have the $7 million taxpayer mid-level exception to use in free agency. If they somehow maneuver to dodge the tax, they'd open up the full $11.4 million mid-level. Neither projects to land a player much better than Dinwiddie. Memphis' Tyus Jones has been thrown around in trade discussions. With Dillon Brooks out the door, the Nets could look into a Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O'Neale swap to help Memphis fill that void. Overall, if Brooklyn doesn't land a star guard this offseason, I think it's far more likely they end up with a complementary piece to take some of the burden off Dinwiddie.
If the Nets were to trade for Dame, what would be a realistic offer that could get the job done? -Omar Bourne
There are two routes Brooklyn can go when putting together a package for Lillard. The first would be packaging several of their mid-sized contracts with draft compensation. This could look something along the lines of Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and Patty Mills with three or four first-round picks. All three salaries are expiring, which would open $47 million in cap space for Portland next summer. That should be enticing for a team that would be going into a full rebuild. Dinwiddie should also have flip value at the deadline, allowing the Blazers to recoup even more draft capital. Portland may also ask for Cam Thomas, a player who makes sense as a talented young scorer on a rebuilding team.
The second route would be using Ben Simmons' $38 million contract as the main salary filler. Brooklyn could add Thomas as a sweetener along with another mid-sized contract to reach Lillard's $45.6 million number. The downside here is the Nets would have to attach additional draft capital for Portland to absorb Simmons' remaining two years, $78 million. That would likely bump the price from three or four first-rounders to something closer to five.
The first route should be far more appealing as the Nets look to build out a contender. Giving up additional picks to dump Simmons at his lowest value is a tough sell for a team that acquired him for James Harden just a year ago. Brooklyn would be better off seeing if Simmons can regain his athleticism in 2023-24 a year removed from back surgery. If not, it should be easier to move him in 2025-26 when he's an expiring contract. In either scenario, Brooklyn could also look to add a third team to extract a pick for Royce O'Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith, who should both have trade value this summer. They could re-route that extra first-rounder to Portland while saving one of their own.
Something else that could impact the packages is which picks Brooklyn would be giving up. The Nets can trade their own firsts in 2023, 2028, or 2029, Phoenix's in 2023, 2025, 2027, or 2029, Philadelphia's in 2027 and Dallas' in 2029. Typically, the farther out the pick, the more value it holds. In this case, that means the picks in 2027 and beyond, all of which are unprotected except the 76ers' (top 8), are the most valuable. Brooklyn's best route would be to try to include both of their picks in this year's draft and others in the near future.
Thoughts on the Nets making a play for Trae Young? Could they do this and still retain Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson? –@JedGoldstein9
Young is a polarizing figure across the NBA. He has clutch shotmaking capabilities in the postseason, as was evident in his brilliant fourth-quarter performance during Game 5 at Boston. However, his abysmal defense has led many front offices to sour on his long-term outlook. He's also coming off one of the worst shooting seasons of his career, converting on just 33.5 percent of his three-point attempts. Then you also have to consider the dynamic he brings to the locker room. Atlanta has already fired two head coaches in Lloyd Pierce and Nate McMillan during Young's five seasons.
While hiding Young defensively down the stretch of games is a significant burden, Brooklyn is positioned better than most to do so with Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O'Neale and Nic Claxton on the roster. The 24-year-old's skillset as an offensive engine in the postseason could be attractive to a Nets team that couldn't throw a beachball in the ocean against Philadelphia. Young is an elite pick-and-roll facilitator, ranking third in the league at 10.2 assists per game this season. Yes, Brooklyn could acquire him while retaining Bridges and Johnson (neither would be included in that deal). Overall, I'm not very high on the idea of paying $178 million over the next four years for a defensive liability who is jumpshot-dependent as a scorer. However, the Nets desperately need offense and Bridges would present the best defensive backcourt partner Young has ever had. If Sean Marks believes in the guard's offensive capabilities, I could see him being a target, but I'd be looking elsewhere first.
Can the Nets get rid of Ben Simmons? Realistically, what can we get from the final 2 years of Simmons' contract –@Shawn2468 and @WayneSam19
Yes, the Nets could get rid of Ben Simmons, if they wanted to. They could use him as a salary filler in a trade for a star or look to dump his contract to a rebuilding team with cap space. But with two years, $78 million left on his deal, that would come at a hefty price of multiple first-round picks. San Antonio is projected to have over $40 million in cap space and should have interest in acquiring more draft capital. However, it doesn't make sense for the Nets to sell on Simmons at his lowest and give up picks after they just reset their timeline. While the 26-year-old showed brief flashes of his old self last season, he was clearly limited athletically by his surgically-repaired back. I wrote an article early this season about the microdiscectomy that Simmons underwent last summer. Studies on NBA players who underwent the procedure found they typically return to their normal level of play in the second postoperative season. Simmons is a unique case due to the mental component of his situation, but I'd say the Nets hold onto him and see if he can regain the athleticism that made him a dominant force early in his career.
Who would the Nets rather move on the wing, Royce O'Neale or Dorian Finney-Smith and why would that be their preference? –@Jbirdp5
O'Neale and Finney-Smith are Brooklyn's likeliest candidates to be traded this offseason. The Nets were offered two first-round picks for Finney-Smith and one for O’Neale at the trade deadline, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. I'd be surprised if they didn't revisit that interest given the high demand for 3-and-D wings and their depth at the position. If I had to guess, I'd say Finney-Smith is the likelier candidate to be moved. Brooklyn went out of their way to trade for O'Neale last offseason while Finney-Smith's acquisition was a result of Kyrie Irving's trade request. While the Nets may be high on Finney-Smith's skillset, I think the nature of those trades is significant in this conversation. Head coach Jacque Vaughn also raved about O'Neale at various points this season. The 29-year-old shot a career-best 38.9 percent from three, although he struggled in the playoffs. Finney-Smith struggled to find his rhythm with the Nets, shooting 31.9 percent from deep over 30 games. However, the veteran improved from beyond the arc leading into the postseason and bolstered Brooklyn's defense. Finney-Smith is on a team-friendly deal at $28 million over the next two seasons before a $15 million player option in 2025-26. With the cap set to jump, that should make him enticing on the trade market. O'Neale is entering the last year of his deal at $9.5 million. If DFS is in higher demand, I don't think the Nets would be unhappy with the idea of extracting value for him while retaining O'Neale on the wing.
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