Brooklyn Nets: Star power lands as Nets look to rise in 2019-20
By Alec Liebsch
2019-20 Roster
Key additions: Kyrie Irving (free agency), Kevin Durant (sign-and-trade), DeAndre Jordan (free agency), Taurean Prince (trade), Garrett Temple (free agency), Wilson Chandler (free agency), Nicolas Claxton (draft), Theo Pinson (re-signed), David Nwaba (free agency), Henry Ellenson (free agency)
Key subtractions: D’Angelo Russell (sign-and-trade), DeMarre Carroll (sign-and-trade), Allen Crabbe (trade), Treveon Graham (trade), Shabazz Napier (trade)
As mentioned before, the Brooklyn Nets did quite a bit of work in free agency. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant chose to team up in Brooklyn for four years, the latter requiring a sign-and-trade from Golden State. The Nets maxed out D’Angelo Russell to make the money close and matched the remaining salary using Treveon Graham and Shabazz Napier.
Brooklyn also received a top-20 protected first-round pick in 2020 from the Warriors.
To make Durant and Irving happy, the team also inked DeAndre Jordan to a four-year, $40 million contract. It doesn’t take a genius to know that’s an overpay at this stage, but it got the job done. Marquee free agents were the goal and Brooklyn got them.
To surround the stars, the Nets also added quality veteran Garrett Temple at two years, $9.7 million. Temple is a Swiss army knife who can create for others (career 11.7 percent assist rate), shoot capably (35.3 percent from 3 for his career, where 46.9 percent of all his shots come from) and defend multiple positions (0.5 career Defensive Box Plus-Minus at 6’6″).
To make those signings possible, the Nets did a solid job in the weeks leading up to June 30. To make room for that second max slot, Allen Crabbe had to be exported. The Hawks were glad to take him for the price the Nets paid, which amounted to a first-round pick in 2019 (became Nickeil Alexander-Walker) and 2020 (lottery protected).
The Nets also received Taurean Prince, a combo forward on the last year of his rookie deal, and a 2021 second-round pick.
Draftees Nicolas Claxton and Jaylen Hands won’t spend much time with the big league team, as the rotation is too deep for now. Though if either one is to get significant tick for Brooklyn, it’s probably Claxton. He has an advanced feel for the game, fluidity that few 7-footers possess, a developing 3-ball and the tools to be a plus defender.
Hands appears to be ticketed to the G-League’s Long Island Nets as a draft-and-stash, as the Nets already have a full roster.
The Nets are still deep like last year, with improving youngsters now in line for regular roles on a contending team. Leading the charge is the one player they lacked last season: a star.