Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks has successfully made the franchise an attractive landing spot again
For the first time since the asset-draining Deron Williams acquisition, the Nets have full control of their draft picks, as well as a favorable cap situation following the 2018-19 season.
With LeBron James leaving for Los Angeles, the Eastern Conference has taken another step back in regards to competitiveness, and many prospective 2019 free agents may consider leaving the West for an opportunity to make a deep playoff run out East.
Brooklyn GM Sean Marks has created a potentially advantageous environment for such a move, as the combination of already existing young talent (D’Angelo Russell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jarrett Allen, etc.) and ample cap space could allow them to be competitive in the near future.
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Brooklyn has moved the lengthy, expensive contracts of Timofey Mozgov and Jeremy Lin, acquired players with expiring contracts in Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur, and will have upwards of $70 million set aside for next offseason’s free agency.
There have been talks concerning Kyrie Irving’s and Jimmy Butler’s desires to pair up in the East, and the Nets may have put themselves at the forefront on this conversation. And the 2019 NBA Free Agency class is set to be one of the deepest in quite some time – perhaps since the famous summer of 2010, in which we saw LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh team up together with the Miami Heat.
In addition to maintaining their own draft picks and moving potentially crippling contracts, Sean Marks’ was able to acquire the Nuggets’ 2019 first round pick (top 12 protected) for the Nets. The extra pick could be used for depth, potentially packaged in a deal to move up in the draft, or to grab another star-level talent.
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The Brooklyn Nets are most definitely on the come up, and could crash the NBA relevancy party as early as this upcoming season. But that would largely depend on what type of moves they can make between now and next summer.