No one expected the Nets to go for the long ball over the weekend at the onset of the NBA’s free agency period—and they didn’t.
Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks did come out of the gate by reportedly crossing off two of his priorities—re-signing reserve wing Joe Harris and boosting his big man rotation with the addition of former Portland center Ed Davis.
Harris will reportedly earn $16 million over the next two seasons, a huge raise over the league-minimum contract he signed with Brooklyn as a free agent in the summer of 2016. The Davis deal, on the other hand, is being hailed as a bargain, with Trail Blazers fans (and core players Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum) miffed that their organization didn’t step up to keep their glue guy in the fold. Davis will actually take a pay cut from the $6.3 million he earned in the last season of a three-year, $20 million deal in Portland after agreeing to a one-year, $4.4 million contract with Brooklyn.
In reality, neither transaction moved the Nets’ needle much in my opinion, despite the huzzahs being thrown in Marks’ direction. Davis, 29, will surely provide rebounding off the bench, as he averaged 14.1 boards per 36 minutes last season, the league’s sixth-most among those who played more than 75 games. However, his offensive game is limited to assisted buckets off pick-and-rolls and putbacks. Heading into a system that emphasizes three-point shooting, Davis is 0-for-2 from deep in his nine-year career. He’ll be another paint clogger on a team that should still be desperately searching for a stretch-4.
As for Harris, he has improved tremendously in Brooklyn’s development program, but he would still be merely a role player on a good team. As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton mused, maybe it would have been wiser if Marks had let coach Kenny Atkinson attempt to repeat the trick with another castoff rather than chopping $8.3 million off of the club’s 2019-20 cap space.
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The really interesting part of these maneuvers is the potential that they might only be the appetizer for a main dish. Marks reportedly has agreements with both Harris and Davis, but the official signings could be delayed to preserve 2018 cap space, with the Nets then using exceptions that would allow them to exceed the cap.
We won’t know until the Dwight Howard trade/buyout is approved by the league, which will occur no sooner than July 6. The Nets reportedly acquired the future Hall of Fame center from Charlotte prior to last week’s draft in exchange for Timofey Mozgov, two second-round picks, and cash. Howard, whose $23.8 million contract will expire after this season, allegedly wants no part of Brooklyn, a team that hasn’t eclipsed 30 wins in the last three seasons.
If he wants out bad enough, maybe Howard will accept a haircut in the neighborhood of $7 million, which would put the salary slot close to what the Nets would have paid Mozgov. In that case, Brooklyn can generate about $15 million in room, per spotrac.com, by renouncing their remaining free agents (Jahlil Okafor, Quincy Acy and Dante Cunningham).
What Marks has up his sleeve then remains a mystery. The Davis signing came out of nowhere.
He could look to add a draft asset by taking on another team’s (like Denver’s) unwanted salary. He could continue to fill out his roster with players like Davis on one-year deals. Mario Hezonja, the former Orlando forward previously reported by the New York Post’s Brian Lewis as someone who was on the Nets’ radar, was signed in such a manner by the Knicks Sunday night for $6.5 million.
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Or Marks could go big, taking another restricted free agency shot at a player like Milwaukee’s Jabari Parker or, if, he’s not renounced after the Lakers’ wild Sunday night, Julius Randle. Is the fifth time a charm? As I noted in my prior post, Marks would likely have to trade a veteran (Jeremy Lin or DeMarre Carroll) first.
I’d go with Plan B above. Nothing but one-year deals. Punt for 2019. I’ve had enough of the Mozgov’s and Andrew Nicholson’s of the league. And now that Aaron Gordon, my personal preferred stretch-4 target, was taken off the table Sunday when Orlando reportedly agreed to a four-year, $84 million extension, only high-risk or ill-fitting stock is left on the free agent shelves.
The Nets are projected to have somewhere between $50-$70 million in cap space next summer, depending on free agent cap holds, plus, and I can’t believe I’m writing this, they have their own first-round draft pick.
They would be wise to keep it that way.
For a FAN’s perspective of the Nets, Devils and Jets, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.