The conversation surrounding the Brooklyn Nets heading into the offseason is centered on one question: Would they go star-hunting following Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's departures?
Damian Lillard was the name most often brought up in those conversations. Brooklyn has the fourth-most picks in the league with 11 first-rounders over the next sevens years. The Portland star finally requested a trade on July 1, but his intent to only play for the Heat brought the Nets rumors to a standstill. With Lillard's sights set on Miami, don't expect Brooklyn to sell the farm for another star this summer.
“I think 100%, we have to keep our flexibility,” General Manager Sean Marks said Sunday at Summer League. “We’re looking forward not only to this year and next year, but the year after that, and trying to find players that will be with us in two or three years.”
Sean Marks on the Nets' roster and timeline:
"I think 100%, we have to keep our flexibility. We’re looking forward not only this year, but next year, the year after that, and trying to find players that will be with us in two or three years. What does it look like? They are… pic.twitter.com/rAsxLuSYlr
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 10, 2023
Marks is viewing this season as an audition of sorts, giving his players a shot to prove they should be in the mix when Brooklyn cashes in its chips for a star down the line.
“Our players are mid-20s, some younger than that. What can they show us in this next season that proves that they should be part of this group in the next year or two after this? Who’s gonna be here in two or three years from this group? What’s it gonna look like? We’re gonna give them an opportunity,” he added. “It’s gonna be fun to see how these guys develop.”
“Let’s see where this goes all the way up until the trade deadline as to what this team looks like at the end of the day.”
The Nets have seen a fair amount of roster turnover this offseason with a clear emphasis on youth and athleticism. They parted ways with Joe Harris, Patty Mills and Seth Curry, the team's three oldest players, and inserted a pair of young guards with eye-popping athleticism in Dennis Smith Jr. (25) and Lonnie Walker IV (24). They also drafted two of the youngest players in franchise history in Noah Clowney (18) and Dariq Whitehead (18).
“Overall I think you see a shift in our team mentality,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said. “No Patty, No Seth, No Joe, No Yuta (Watanabe). So overall, the shift a little bit that we talked about at the end of the year, I think you’re starting to see that as an organization.”
The Nets ended last season with the NBA's 10th-oldest roster, according to Elias Sports Bureau. They've gotten younger with a core of players in their mid-20s: Mikal Bridges (26), Cam Johnson (27), Nic Claxton (24) and Ben Simmons (26).
Bridges looked like a star in 31 games with Brooklyn post-trade deadline. He's owed just $23 million annually over the next three seasons, a contract that will offer the Nets great roster-building flexibility in the new CBA. Marks locked up Bridges' “Twin” Cam Johnson on a four-year, $94.5 million contract last week, a move he said had been a top priority since the Durant trade.
“(It was) very important. When you trade for a guy like Cam, he’s a priority. We made that known from Day 1,” the GM said. “We wanted to make sure we kept Cam. We tried to recruit him the whole time he was here. Show him this is what Brooklyn is all about. So to get that done probably gives big peace of mind for not only us but for Cam.”
With Sean Marks admitting the roster is likely two or more seasons away, he'll soon have to make decisions on Spencer Dinwiddie, Royce O'Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith, who all recently turned 30 and should have some trade value. Despite the uncertain state of the roster entering 2023-24, Vaughn wants his players focused on the here and now as they attempt to prove their worth in Brooklyn's long-term plans.
“You have the group embrace where we are right now and embrace how you can grow together,” he said on NBA TV. “Don't look two steps beyond, what could happen, what might happen two years from now. I think you embrace where we are as a team, really dive into that and I think that’s where the growth happens.”
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