NBA Rumors: The Brook Nets are reportedly now open to trading Mason Plumlee and Joe Johnson this summer, looking to get younger in the process
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The Brooklyn Nets need and want to get young and cheaper. From top to bottom. And even though probably throwing Brook Lopez a max deal, or something awfully close, to that this summer wouldn’t exactly fall into that equation, the Nets will be open to dealing almost anyone on their roster.
Which will reportedly include Joe Johnson, which is expected, and Mason Plumlee, which is probably coming a year too late. Nevertheless, the Nets will be actively looking to make some roster changes this offseason, as they should be.
"[via ESPN]This task certainly would have been simpler, had the Nets sold high on Mason Plumlee and traded him when the calls were flooding in early the previous season … when the going rate for centers was so favorable.It’s unavoidably tantalizing to think about what the Nets might have gotten for Plumlee, had they actively shopped him before he fell out of favor — bearing in mind the two future first-round picks Denver extracted from Cleveland for Timofey Mozgov.Some rival executives think the Nets might go ahead and explore the Plumlee marketplace anyway, in hopes teams remember his dogged play for Team USA the past summer more than his struggles to get on the floor under first-year Nets coach Lionel Hollins. Now, though, would not appear to be the ideal time to see what shopping him might fetch.…It is widely assumed the Nets will explore the trade markets for both Joe Johnson (with his expiring $24.9 million deal) and Jarrett Jack (due $12.6 million over the next two seasons but only partially guaranteed in 2016-17) to try to get away from tax territory that way, instead of waiving and stretching Williams. Neither of those ideas is as complicated as trying to trade D-Will himself, with $21 million next season and $22.3 million in 2016-17 owed to the 30-year-old, but you wouldn’t describe trading Johnson or Jack for purely financial motivations as easy, either."
And I'm hearing teams have indeed begun to inquire about availability of Mason Plumlee based on belief Nets willing to move young big man
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 27, 2015
It could be extremely difficult, and perhaps even impossible, to trade Joe Johnson this summer, who is owed nearly $25 million next season. Trading Jarrett Jack might be easier, but still difficult. Dealing Plumlee, though, is certainly doable, even if it comes at a payoff less than originally expected.
Then again, that’s what happens why you decide on selling low rather than high. But the Nets simply can’t let Lopez walk after the season he just had, and keeping Plumlee when he’s at least somewhat trade-able right now would be another failure in the long list of ones that the Nets have committed over the last handful of years.
The Nets will embark this offseason with the intention of being active, that doesn’t mean they will be. If nothing else, they’re going to try really, really hard to turn things around in Brooklyn. That still might not be enough, however.