The Brooklyn Nets are in trouble
When the Brooklyn Nets moved into the Barclays Center in 2012, expectations were through the roof. Brooklyn, which was getting its first major league team since baseball’s Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 season, was teeming with excitement. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov was guaranteeing championships, believing the team was close to glory.
After winning 49 games in 2012 but losing in the first round to the Chicago Bulls, general manager Billy King began wheeling and dealing. In July of 2013, King acquired Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry from the Boston Celtics for a host of spare parts, but more importantly, three first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Boston also has the right to swap first-round selections in 2017.
At the time, the move was viewed as a play to dethrone the Miami Heat. King already had Deron Williams and Joe Johnson in the fold, acquiring Williams in a 2011 trade from the Utah Jazz and Johnson via trade from the Atlanta Hawks in the summer of 2012. With a starting lineup of Brook Lopez, Garnett, Pierce, Johnson and Williams, some were picking Brooklyn to win its first NBA title.
Instead, the Nets barely scarped by the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2013 playoffs before being hammered in five games by Miami. The team was a major disappointment, winning 44 games in the regular season under first-year head coach Jason Kidd.
Following the campaign, Kidd bolted for the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving Brooklyn to hire Lionel Hollins. The 2014-15 season has been another disaster, with the Nets sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference at 18-26. Garnett is done, Williams is aging and the roster is insanely expensive.
Brooklyn is on the hook for $76,786,017 in salaries for next year, according to HoopsHype. Johnson and Williams account for roughly $45 million, while Jarrett Jack eats up another $6.3 million. Lopez has a player option for $16.77 million, making him a very attractive trade option around the league. The Nets would be wise to deal the oft-injured star, taking advantage of his excellent year. Lopez is the only player on the roster who could bring back a significant haul, and perhaps even clear a bad contract off the books. Currently, Vegas has the Nets at 400/1 to win the title, so giving up on the year is far from devastating.
Brooklyn is in terrible position because of a deadly combination; money, age and mediocrity. The Nets are not bad enough to get a top pick, and too capped out to bring in a major free-agent. Brooklyn needs to move Lopez and let Johnson leave after next season, giving it cap relief. King won’t have a first-round selection next year, but should be looking at 2017 for a revival. It’s a tough wait, but a necessary one.
The Nets swung the fences and came up woefully short. Still, take heed Brooklyn fans. At least your front office tried. You could be the New York Knicks.
