What happens to the Brooklyn Nets now that Kyrie Irving has decided to exercise her chance as a player to return for the 2022-23 season instead of eventually leaving the Brooklyn through a free agency this summer?
Although the Nets no longer have to worry about their most important possible free agent, there is still a lot of work to be done when the NBA’s free agency opens Thursday at 6 p.m.
Five of Brooklyn’s eight other players, who saw at least 10 minutes of play in the first round of the Boston Celtics, could become free agents, including starters Bruce Brown and Andre Drummond.
How can the Nets, who also have to include newcomer Ben Simmons after his addition to the trading deadline, improve on last year’s team, which had to fight in the game tournament just to be swept away by the Celtics?
And what are Brooklyn’s chances with Irving now that he’s heading to the final season of the contract he signed in the summer of 2019? Let’s break things down for Brooklyn.
Kyrie is in – now what about the Nets?
Brooklyn will now have seven players under contract before Wednesday’s selection deadline, when both the team and another guard have to make decisions. The Nets have a choice for second striker Kessler Edwards, who will receive the minimum wage if his option is exercised after Brooklyn replaced his two-way contract with a full NBA contract at the end of last regular season.
Meanwhile, Patty Mills has to decide on a $ 6.2 million player option after signing a two-year contract with the Nets last summer. Whether Mills exercises his opportunity does not necessarily have to be seen as showing his interest in returning. Brooklyn offered Mills as much money as possible using the average taxpayer exception last summer, but will be able to give it a 20% increase this year using rights other than Bird if it becomes a free agent.
Brown will be an unlimited free agent after signing for his qualifying offer last summer when he was restricted. After his role changed in the first half of the season, Brown thrived after the All-Star break, averaging 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while making 47% of his 3-point attempts. it was not a force before. Given that Simmons reflects some of Brown’s defenses and previous weaknesses as an out-of-ball shooter, it will be interesting to see how much the Nets value Brown’s re-signing.
All four Brooklyn center veterans will be free agents. Drummond, which began after being involved in a deal to bring Simmons to the Nets, is unlimited. Brooklyn will have to use the average taxpayer exception to offer Drummond more than 120% of his minimum wage using rights other than Bird. Drummond appeared before the purchased LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin pickups, whose value dropped to 37 (Aldridge, by the start of training camp) and 33 (Griffin). Nets are likely to be better served with younger options in these places.
These options include Nick Claxton, a 23-year-old free agent after three years in the league. Claxton was the best option for coach Steve Nash in the center off the bench in the playoffs, averaging 10.5 points in 79% shooting and 6.3 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. Claxton’s ability to anchor a tough defense could make him a coveted player, forcing Brooklyn to give him a significant boost after Claxton made the minimum price in a deal signed as a second-round pick.
Finally, veteran guard Goran Dragic will be an unlimited free agent after joining the Nets through a buyout in February. Dragic played well in the playoffs, but may not play as big a role in next year’s team with Simmons (back) and Joe Harris (ankle) returning from injury.
Networks have limited room for improvement
Despite all the free agents, Irving’s option will put Brooklyn above the 2022-23 threshold for a luxury tax to enter a free agency. This limits the Nets from using the $ 6.4 million average taxpayer exception to add external free agents – if they choose not to use it to re-sign Drummond.
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After adding security insurance with Mills last summer, this time Brooklyn would be wise to target mid-level 3-D players. Nicholas Batum of the LA Clippers and Otto Porter Jr. of the Golden State Warriors would be ideal, who could complement Kevin Durant and Irving with their flexibility in shooting, decision-making and defense.
TJ Warren of the Indiana Pacers is another interesting option if the Nets are confident he will be healthy after missing all but four games from the last two seasons due to repeated stress fractures in his left leg.
Brooklyn will certainly study the commercial market as well. If Mills returns, the Nets could try to deal with a surplus of quality shooters on the perimeter after adding Seth Curry to Simmons’ trade to Harris, Irving and Mills. But Harris’s value is likely to be at a low point after ankle surgery ended his campaign in November 2021-22, while Curry’s value salary ($ 8.5 million) would challenge him to get a quality player in position. from more needed in return.
Above all these decisions for the front office in Brooklyn is whether the property wants to sign another massive tax bill. It was one thing for the Nets to go deep into taxes last summer when they were favorites to win the championship. After leaving the playoffs early, Brooklyn may have to justify how much added pay can become a deep playoff this time.
Why the deal is still possible for Irving
Exercising his option as a player, Irving eliminates the most annoying scenario for the Nets: the possibility of him leaving for another team through a free agency, and they receive nothing in return.
However, there are still many ways in which the Irving-Brooklyn relationship could develop next year.
Irving may continue to work with the Nets for an acceptable long-term contract. As noted by Bobby Marx of ESPN, Irving is entitled to an extension until June 30, 2023 as a player in the final year of his contract. It is possible that both sides will reconsider the negotiations during the season if Irving is healthy and productive.
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Alternatively, Brooklyn can still trade it. In a sense, Irving, by exercising his option, makes trading easier than trying to find a mutually acceptable deal to sign and trade if he becomes a free agent. Restrictions on signing and trading would make it difficult, if not impossible, for Irving to be replaced by a tax-paying team like the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent.
In the worst case scenario, when the Nets are ready to move entirely from Irving to mid-season, his expiring contract could allow them to recoup longer-term deals from a team that wants to create salary flexibility. For example, Brooklyn could send Irving to the Charlotte Hornets for Gordon Hayward, a move that will cut the Nets’ tax bill this season but allow the Hornets to cut Hayward’s $ 31.5 million salary in 2023-2024.
This is the bad news for Brooklyn’s management for what should be a happy day: Irving, exercising his player choice, doesn’t answer questions about his future with the Nets; it just takes them back a year – if so.
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