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Brooklyn Nets: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 1, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) high fives small forward Thaddeus Young (30) after hitting the go-ahead shot against the New York Knicks with two second left during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Nets defeated the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) high fives small forward Thaddeus Young (30) after hitting the go-ahead shot against the New York Knicks with two second left during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Nets defeated the Knicks 100-98. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brooklyn Nets
Mar 10, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Thaddeus Young (30) drives to the net during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Keeping Brooklyn Young

As with Brook Lopez, retaining Thaddeus Young was Brooklyn’s top offseason priority. After joining the Nets in a trade deadline deal, Young proved his value as a player who can thrive off the ball. On a team with go-to scorers in Lopez and Joe Johnson, Young’s willingness to cut off the ball and crash the offensive glass made him a great fit in Brooklyn.

Young averaged 13.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 28 games for the Nets while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. His solid production in a lesser role earned him a four-year, $50 million extension. Like Lopez’s deal, the final year of Young’s contract is a player option.

Paying $12.5 million a season for a guy like Young may seem like something of an overpay, but the truth is, that’s the nature of the NBA’s expanding salary cap. In fact, that’s actually a pretty fair deal for a helpful player like Young, especially since the Nets were focused on retaining him along with Lopez.

The Young and Lopez re-signings had been Brooklyn’s offseason priority from the moment their season ended, so they shouldn’t come as a surprise. In fact, with the way the cap is increasing over the next two years, the Nets got Young on a relative bargain deal. Since renouncing the rights to Lopez, Young and Mirza Teletovic would’ve only freed up $7 million in cap space, and since the Nets don’t own their 2016 first round pick, there was no point letting them go and tanking anyway.

Grade: B-

Next: Signing Shane

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