Hoops Habit
Fansided

Where the Brooklyn Nets stand with Otto Porter Jr.

By Christopher Lavinio

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 30: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards looks on during the fourth quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on April 30, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Cetics defeat the Wizards 123-111. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 30: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards looks on during the fourth quarter of Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on April 30, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Cetics defeat the Wizards 123-111. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

As the Brooklyn Nets continue to stay aggressive in the restricted free agent market, general manager Sean Marks and company wait to hear if the Washington Wizards will retain their 24 year-old small forward.

Over the past two seasons since general manager Sean Marks took the reins of the Brooklyn Nets franchise, the team has been hyper-aggressive in pursuing restricted free agents.

It’s a tough game to play, as these players look to remain with their incumbent teams, attempting to lock up deals just hours after July 1, but then fail to come to an agreement.

The incumbent team then throws its hands up in the air and lets the restricted free agent fetch a deal elsewhere, taking meetings with teams, evaluating fit, culture, playing style and so forth.

The Nets have done this with quite a few restricted free agents over the past calendar year. Look no further than the below:

All those contracts were matched, technically.

The latest player to sign on the dotted line? Washington Wizards small forward Otto Porter Jr. for a whopping four-year, $106.5 million max contract.

The Nets, once again, took a risk, using every clause, loophole, etc. to their disposal provided in the latest collective bargaining agreement. Look no further than Natalie Jay, the Nets contract and cap specialist.

More from Brooklyn Nets

Bearing that in mind, it’s no surprise the Nets added a 15 percent trade kicker in the offer sheet, something they did with Allen Crabbe, who Portland is now looking to offload and was rumored to be willing to attach a first round pick along with him.

But, one “unusual” term in the offer sheet is that the Wizards, if match, must pay Otto Porter Jr. 50 percent of his annual salary before October 1. Normally, teams spread out payments between November and April.

Why is this significant you may ask? If the Wizards do match, then do find a trade partner in December for Otto Porter Jr. in year two of his deal, they would already have paid half of his annual salary for only playing a month-plus of service.

ESPN writer Zach Lowe finds this another usual addition into an already nasty offer sheet that the Nets, once again, send to a team having a coveted restricted free agent.

So, where do the Nets stand at this point in time? Washington has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Saturday to announce if they’ll match or not on the Otto Porter Jr. offer sheet. However, there are some wrinkles that could tie up the Nets cap for another four days, not giving them flexibility until July 12 should the Wizards match.

Per The Washington Post‘s Tim Bontemps, the Wizards aren’t deterred by the Nets offer sheet antics, and plan on matching.

"“Now the ball is in Washington’s court. And, barring a reversal from what several sources have maintained for months, Porter will return to the Wizards as the team’s highest-paid player next season.“In fact, not only do the Wizards plan on keeping Porter, there is a possibility that they will keep the money from Porter’s offer sheet on Brooklyn’s books for as long as possible. In addition to the two days the Wizards have to match Porter’s offer initially, there also is a two-day window in which Porter will need to report to the team and be given a physical examination, and another two-day window after that for the team to announce he has passed the physical.”“So, in theory, the Wizards could wait to officially announce Porter has passed his physical and re-signed until 11:59 p.m. on July 12 — tying up Brooklyn’s cap space for a full 6 1/2 days.”"

With the Wizards likely to match and drag the physical process out until July 12, then officially relieving the Nets of the cap hold, general manager Sean Marks will return to a few other free agents on the market.

Could the Nets be in play for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of the Detroit Pistons as a backup plan? Most definitely. But, one thing is for sure, Sean Marks has been known to have a few tricks up his sleeve, and keep things pretty tight lipped in the Nets front office.

Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far

Whatever the plan is, expect it to be strategic, patient and calculated.

Home/Brooklyn Nets