Woj: Nets are "strong front runners" to resign Brook Lopez and Thad Young

[Who]

I think the Nets are having a great summer.

I loved that RHJ pickup in the draft for them. Exactly what they needed. So many slow-to-average athletes on the perimeter. They desperately needed a high level athlete with defense talent to try and shore up their perimeter defense. And RHJ has the athleticism to switch onto any of the three perimeter positions. Brooklyn has big guards who can switch onto smaller wings. JJ can cover both SGs and SFs. So they can mix and match and find best use of RHJ. Defensive versatility.

I think they have solidified their place as a low seed playoff team. Or late lottery pick team.

I think the only hope now for that 2016 Brooklyn pick becoming a mid-to-high lottery pick is if they suffer some injuries. Lopez and Williams have been injury-prone players in recent years so there is still a chance of this.

I think they have done as well as they could reasonably hope to do with their limited flexibility to put forward a strong as possible team next season. Next step is to replace Plumlee so that B.Lopez has a quality backup center.

What do you think their Ceiling is if they trade Joe Johnson?

Depends on what they get for him.

I don't think JJ is that valuable. I consider him a middle of the pack starting SF nowadays. His defense and rebounding is well below average. His offense still well above average but is only scoring 14ppg. He is replaceable.

It is possible they could trade him and still stay relatively secure in their current position if they got a viable rotation caliber role player back in return for him.

[fantankerous]

Logically, the Nets should be less productive during the next 2 years but not by a large extend.
The owner is trying hard to shed salaries and want to sell the franchise.

It's time to give up the canard that the Nets are shedding salary.  They just voluntarily committed themselves to $110 million of new salary. 

If they avoid serious injuries, I expect the Nets to make the playoffs next season.  They played above .500 in the 30 games after acquiring Young.  They improved through the draft and still have exceptions to make a minor signing or two. 

Eventually we'll get lucky with one of our assets.  I'm not optimistic the 2016 BKN pick will be the one.

[MBunge]

I think the Nets are having a great summer.

I loved that RHJ pickup in the draft for them. Exactly what they needed. So many slow-to-average athletes on the perimeter. They desperately needed a high level athlete with defense talent to try and shore up their perimeter defense. And RHJ has the athleticism to switch onto any of the three perimeter positions. Brooklyn has big guards who can switch onto smaller wings. JJ can cover both SGs and SFs. So they can mix and match and find best use of RHJ. Defensive versatility.

I think they have solidified their place as a low seed playoff team. Or late lottery pick team.

I think the only hope now for that 2016 Brooklyn pick becoming a mid-to-high lottery pick is if they suffer some injuries. Lopez and Williams have been injury-prone players in recent years so there is still a chance of this.

I think they have done as well as they could reasonably hope to do with their limited flexibility to put forward a strong as possible team next season. Next step is to replace Plumlee so that B.Lopez has a quality backup center.

Here's the thing with the Nets.  The deals for Lopez and Young put them about $8 million over the luxury tax line next season, even if they renounce everyone they can renounce, don't sign RHJ and have only 7 players on the roster. That means they're already paying an extra 8 million and every additional signing from here on will cost twice as much.  They also just barely made the playoffs last year when the only significant players in their rotation who missed time was 14 games for Deron Williams and 42 games for Teletovic.

They only had Young for the last 28 games of the season, so adding him for the whole year will help.  But given the near impossibility of them adding anyone else this offseason, missing the playoffs could easily happen.

Mike