You know what it is, CelticsBloggers.
It's not an outright pick this time, but the ability to swap picks with the Nets could prove to be another tremendous asset moving forward. Even though I was confident the Nets would be terrible in 2015-2016, I honestly didn't envision their team finishing 3rd worst in the league. Bottom 5 maybe, but 3rd worst? Here's to hoping that the Nets have yet another miserable season.
Salaried Roster for 2016-2017 Season (free agents excluded):PG: Lin/ Vasquez / Whitehead
SG: Bogdonavic / LeVert / Kilpatrick
SF: RHJ / Booker
PF: McCullough / Scola
C: Lopez / Anderson
Unrestricted Free Agents:Donald Sloan
Sergey Karasev
Henry Sims
Restricted Free Agents:Markel Brown - QO rescinded
Willie Reed - did not receive QO
Player Option:Shane Larkin ($1.5 million)
Wayne Ellington ($1.5 million) - opted out of contract
Thomas Robinson ($1.05 million) - opted out of contract
Other Salary Cap Considerations: Deron Williams ($5.75 million)
Andrea Bargnani ($323k buyout)
Jarrett Jack ($500k guarantee of his $6.3 million salary)
Cap holds - should be minimal per NetsDaily
Projected Salary Cap: $94 million
Estimated Nets cap space: ~$58.1 millionSalary figures are from basketball-reference.com and from
http://www.netsdaily.com/2016/5/28/11804786/latest-estimate-for-nets-cap-space-45-3-millionUnder Sean Marks, Brooklyn may opt to take a patient approach which could work to our benefit.
The core of the Nets is still weak, and few of their free agents listed above are worth retaining. If I'm Brooklyn, I keep Markel Brown. Should come cheap and has potential as a role player. Kilpatrick was a nice pickup out of the D-League. He's shown that he can score the ball on a team lacking offense - something the Nets sorely needed from the guard position - but he hasn't proven anything else outside of that yet.
Some things to monitor:
• The Nets direly need an upgrade at PG. Who will they bring aboard? Would Rondo or Conley consider the Nets?
• Will the Nets trade Lopez and/or Young for future draft picks, or use them as building blocks moving forward? (For now, it sounds like Marks will keep Lopez as a building block)
• Will they be able to attract any quality players in free agency? Brooklyn might be a good destination for players looking to re-establish their value in the league, since playing time should be easy to come by.
• Will they overpay for mediocre free agent talent - at the possible expense of future flexibility - to put together a respectable team? (I suspect they will not)
It's too early to evaluate, but I'd be shocked if the Nets manage to be a .500 team next season. Here's to hoping for another great pick. And hopefully Ainge doesn't trade the rights to swap or the 2018 Nets pick.