Brooklyn Nets: 5 potential free agency targets in 2018
By Alec Liebsch
With 2018 NBA Free Agency right around the corner, it’s time to look at players the Brooklyn Nets could potentially go after. Here are five intriguing quarries.
Basketball never stops. Just over a week after the 2018 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets are once again on the clock. This time, the Nets have the ability to add immediate contributors, should they coerce anyone successfully.
Unfortunately, the likelihood of signing a proven quality player outright is unlikely. The Nets were 28-54 last season, and although they were fun to watch, the best unrestricted free agents probably won’t give Brooklyn a look.
Additionally, the Nets don’t have much cap space for this season. Thanks to the Dwight Howard trade, the team can only sign external players via exceptions or the league minimum, per Spotrac. The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is about $8.5 million for 2018-19, and the bi-annual exception is $3.4 million. NBA teams are only able to use one of those exceptions in a given season.
The buyout agreement between the Nets and Howard could make his cap hit lower, but likely not enough to get under the cap.
That leaves a limited niche of players to target. Quality role players such as Will Barton and Tyreke Evans will likely demand a winning situation, which Brooklyn cannot provide yet. Signing players to longer, big-money deals is virtually impossible in 2019.
Another aspect to consider is age. The Nets’ core players have yet to enter their primes, and restricted free agents usually haven’t yet either. The timeline parallels are advantageous to look at.
The main needs for the Nets, which they can address via free agency now as opposed to going for talent in the draft, revolve around the frontcourt. The rotation lacks depth at both the 4- and 5-spots, and although I don’t like to pigeonhole players into positional boxes, most of the upcoming targets will be of that mold.
Without further ado, here are five intriguing targets who can help the Nets now, while also fitting into the franchise’s timeline.