Brooklyn Nets: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Alec Liebsch
Through one of the most effective rebuilds in the history of the NBA, the Brooklyn Nets struck gold after years of suffering.
What a time to be a Brooklyn Nets fan. Just five years removed from executing the worst trade in NBA history, the Nets positioned themselves to pull off one of the best coups the league has ever seen.
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Though painful for some, it’s mandatory to look at how they got to this point. Following their expulsion of draft picks, the Nets were stuck in a place no team wanted to be: bad with no organic way to get better.
It just so happened that Sean Marks wanted to take on that challenge. Once hired as general manager, he and his crew made improvements on the margins, acquiring picks in unorthodox ways.
Netting a first-round pick from the Indiana Pacers for Thaddeus Young was rock solid, ditto for Bojan Bogdanovic. Extorting a high second-rounder for Trevor Booker from the Philadelphia 76ers was a steal.
They made great value trades in that department. But their real work was done in a revolutionary way: using cap space.
Brook Lopez‘s expiring deal and their 2017 pick swap (via the Boston Celtics) allowed them to incur Timofey Mozgov‘s albatross contract, which also had D’Angelo Russell attached.
A year later, Marks flipped Mozgov and a future second-rounder for Dwight Howard, which gave them two max slots for the summer of 2019. Absorbing DeMarre Carroll‘s egregious contract got them first- and second-round picks as well.
Suddenly the Nets had assets and flexibility again, but everyone knows that’s only a small step towards building. They had to make the most of it; and boy did they ever.
That Pacers pick turned into Caris LeVert, who was on pace for stardom before that foot injury. The selection received in the Bogdanovic trade (via the Washington Wizards) resulted in Jarrett Allen, who’s a solid starting center at his worst.
The second-rounder from Toronto became Rodions Kurucs, a versatile forward who will be a mainstay for years to come. Russell just made the All-Star Game and also got a max contract from the Golden State Warriors.
Their work along the fringes was excellent too. Spencer Dinwiddie, a minimum signing in 2016, has blossomed into a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
Joe Harris, a castaway who couldn’t crack the Cleveland Cavaliers rotation, led the league in 3-point percentage last season in Brooklyn, at 47.4.
A lot of the work deserves to go to Kenny Atkinson, a Mike Budenholzer disciple who has established himself as one of the best developers in the league. Using high-level analytics and constructive player discord, Atkinson and the rest of the organization have built an
Despite lacking any lottery selections, the Nets managed to build a solid team. They finished 42-40 last season, earning the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Two very special players noticed something special brewing in Brooklyn, making this summer one of the best a single team has had in league history. Let’s dive right in.