Brooklyn Nets: Grading the team’s transactions in the 2021 offseason

SAITAMA, JAPAN - AUGUST 07: Kevin Durant of Team United States and Patty Mills of Team Australia take a selfie with their gold and silver medals during the Men's Basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Super Arena on August 07, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
SAITAMA, JAPAN - AUGUST 07: Kevin Durant of Team United States and Patty Mills of Team Australia take a selfie with their gold and silver medals during the Men's Basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Saitama Super Arena on August 07, 2021 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn Nets (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images). /

All things considered, the 2021 offseason has been an impressive showing from the Brooklyn Nets front office. Usually, a three-headed monster of stars at the caliber of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving would place a team in cap space hell; forcing them to sign marginally impactful veterans on the minimum contracts.

And yet, GM Sean Marks built on the fringes of this roster to solidify Brooklyn as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference next year. Furthermore, the Nets maintained some flexibility moving forward. While the team doesn’t have a ton of cap space or draft capital to play with, Marks is likely to gauge the trade/buyout market to put more talent around his Big 3.

Based on their offseason transactions, the Brooklyn Nets are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference heading into next season.

For now, the Nets’ depth chart looks something like this heading into next season.

  • PG: Kyrie Irving, Patty Mills, Jevon Carter
  • SG: James Harden, Bruce Brown, Cameron Thomas
  • SF: Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, DeAndre’ Bembry
  • PF: Blake Griffin, James Johnson, Alize Johnson
  • C: DeAndre Jordan, Nicolas Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe

While a traditional depth chart doesn’t tell a complete story in this positionless league, it’s clear that Brooklyn has enough to contend for a title next season. This roster has a bit of everything needed in today’s game: Multi-positional shooters, shot creators, defenders, playmakers, and grit.

Drawing stars to your organization is a feat in and of itself, but it doesn’t mean much if a legitimate rotation isn’t constructed around those players.

*Please note that we’re not including the Spencer Dinwiddie sign-and-trade since the Nets only received a future second-round pick in the deal.

Without further ado, it’s time to put official grades on the team’s moves in the 2021 offseason.