Irving chose to stay, Nets started busy
Now that Kyrie Irving has decided to exercise the player option to return to the team for the 2022-23 season rather than potentially leaving Brooklyn through free agency this summer, then the pick-up How to do down Brooklyn Nets .
Although the Nets no longer have to worry about their most important possible free agent, they still have a lot of work to do when NBA free agency begins on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
Of the eight other players who played at least 10 minutes in the first-round sweep by the Boston Celtics, five will become free agents, including starters Bruce Brown and Andre Drumon de .
On the basis that Ben Simmons, who came to the team at the trade deadline, must be integrated into the team, how can the Nets improve after struggling to make it out of the play-offs last year but being swept by the Celtics team?
And with Irving entering the final year of the contract he signed in the summer of 2019, what choice will Brooklyn make with Irving? Let’s break it down for Brooklyn.
Kyrie chooses to exercise player option - what do the Nets do now?
Brooklyn has seven players under contract before Wednesday's option deadline, when the team and another defender have a decision to make. The Nets have a team option on second-year forward Kessler Edwards, should his team option be exercised after Brooklyn converted his two-way contract to a standard NBA contract at the end of last season's regular season. His salary will be minimum.
Meanwhile, Patty Mills must decide whether to exercise his $6.2 million player option after signing a two-year contract last summer. Whether Mills exercises his player option does not necessarily indicate his interest in returning to the team. Last summer, Brooklyn used the mini-team mid-level exception to provide Mills with a contract with the highest salary under limited conditions, but if he becomes a free agent, the Nets can use non-Bird rights to give him a 20% salary increase this summer. Contracts.
Brown will become an unrestricted free agent after he signed a qualifying offer last summer as a restricted free agent. After experiencing ups and downs in his role in the first half of the season, Brown exploded after the All-Star break, averaging 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 47% from three-point range - something he had not previously achieved. Not good at shooting three-pointers. It will be interesting to see how much value the Nets see in re-signing Brown, given that Simmons can replace some of Brown's defensive strength and the former's weaknesses as an off-ball shooter.
All four of Brooklyn's veteran centers will become free agents. Drummond, who will become an unrestricted free agent, became a starter after arriving in the trade that brought Simmons to the Nets. Brooklyn will need to use the mini-mid-level exception to offer Drummond a contract that starts at 120% of the minimum salary using non-Bird rights. Drummond's signing will take precedence over LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin , the value of the latter two being due to being over 37 years old ( Aldridge , training camp starts ex) and 33 ( griffin ) and lowered. At these positions, the Nets may have younger options.
Those options include Nicholas Claxton , a 23-year-old restricted free agent after three years in the league. Clarkston is head coach Steve Nash's first choice for the center position on the bench in the playoffs. He averages 24.5 minutes per game, scoring 10.5 points, shooting 79% from the field, and 6.3 rebounds. . Claxton's ability to support endless rotations made him a coveted player, forcing Brooklyn to give him a significant raise after he signed a minimum-salary contract as a second-round pick.
Finally, veteran guard Goran Dragic will become an unrestricted free agent after joining the Nets through a buyout in February. Dragic performed well in the playoffs, but he likely won't play the same role next year after Simmons (back) and Joe Harris (ankle) return from injuries.
The Nets have limited options to improve the team
Even if all free agents are waived, Irving's choice to exercise player options will put Brooklyn's salary above the luxury tax line for the 2022-23 season when entering free agency. This would limit the Nets' use of the $6.4 million mini-midlevel exception to sign free agents from other teams if they decide not to use the exception to re-sign Drummond.
After adding backup guard Mills last summer, Brooklyn would be wise to target 3-and-D players in the mid-level exception this time around. Nicolas Batum of the Los Angeles Clippers and Otto Porter Jr. of the Golden State Warriors would be ideal candidates to help Kevin Duran with their shooting ability, playmaking ability and defensive versatility. Special and Owen.
Indiana Pacers' TJ Warren is another interesting option if the Nets are confident he will stay healthy after appearing in just four games in two seasons due to a recurrent stress fracture in his left foot.
Of course, Brooklyn will also explore the trade market. If Mills returns, after adding Seth Curry to Harris, Irving and Mills through the Simmons trade, the Nets may try to trade their surplus of high-quality shooters from the perimeter. But Harris' trade value may be at a low point after ankle surgery ended the 2021-22 season in November, and Curry's salary ($8.5 million) allows the team to get a quality player at a position of greater need. It becomes difficult for the players.
The most important decision of all for Brooklyn's front office is whether the team's owners are willing to once again pay a hefty luxury tax bill. They were the favorite last summer, so the Nets could pay the luxury tax. After an early exit from the playoffs, Brooklyn may have to prove that extra salary will get the team further in the playoffs this time around.
Why Irving could still be traded
By exercising his player option, Irving eliminates the most vexing scenario for the Nets: the possibility of Irving leaving for another team via free agency and leaving the Nets with nothing.
However, there are still many ways for Irving and Brooklyn's story to continue to unfold in the coming year.
Irving can continue to reach a satisfactory long-term contract with the Nets. As ESPN reporter Bobby Marks said, as a player in the last year of his contract, Irving is eligible to make an appointment in advance before June 2023. If Irving stays healthy and performs well, the two sides could potentially renegotiate during the season.
Alternatively, Brooklyn could still trade him. In some ways, Irving exercising his player option makes the trade easier than trying to find a mutually satisfactory sign-and-trade if he hits free agency. Sign-and-trade restrictions would make it difficult, if not impossible, to trade Irving as a free agent to a luxury-tax team like the Los Angeles Lakers.
In a worse-case scenario, the Nets are prepared to move Irving midseason, with his expiring contract allowing them to take over a long-term deal from a team looking to create cap space flexibility. For example, Brooklyn could send Irving to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Gordon Hayward. This deal would reduce the Nets' luxury tax this season and allow the Hornets to get rid of Hayward in the 2023-24 season. million dollar contract.
On an otherwise happy day, here's bad news for Brooklyn's front office: Irving exercising his player option doesn't answer questions about his future with the Nets; it just sets them back a year Ex - if only that's all.
