The Nets lost 50 games this season, but had seventh youngest roster. Do they need to get younger still?
Wednesday’s introduction of Jordi Fernandez as the Nets 24th head coach and Sean Marks fourth (not counting interims) was pretty standard fare. The rookie head coach did say he believed he and the team could “get results right away,” another indication the Brooklyn Nets do not plan to veer away from their plan to compete in not contend for another season.
Then, in a scrum with media after Fernandez was introduced, Marks made some news, saying for the second time in a matter of days that the Nets might acquire a pick in the 2024 Draft, conceding that he might even go for a first rounder if someone they like slips. The Houston Rockets control the Nets first and second round picks, the first from the 2022 James Harden trade, the second a payment for a salary dump last year. (There were reports that Marks was offered a 2024 first in one of the superstar trades, but declined in favor of a later draft, believing this draft wasn’t worth it.)
Now though, Marks says he and his draft team, led by B.J. Johnson, may very well dip in to the Draft pool. It depends, as it always does, on what his scouting department thinks.
“I think we look at the Draft the same way every year. It’s take the best available,” said Marks in response to a NetsDaily question. “If there’s somebody in there that, wow, they’re slipping, can we get in there at that particular pick? That would be important. For us just to go and say, ‘Hey, we, we got the 20th pick, we got the 44th pick,’ that doesn’t do us any good. For us this year, it’s gonna be more strategic.”
Marks, of course, has done that before, often right up to Draft itself. Each of the following deals took place in the 48 hours before the Draft!
—In 2016, his first Draft, Marks traded Thaddeus Young to Indiana for the 20th pick which he used to take Caris LeVert whose three surgeries at Michigan had hurt his draft prospects.
—In 2017, Marks traded Brook Lopez and and the 27th pick in the Draft (Kyle Kuzma) to the Lakers for D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov.
—In 2018, he traded the rights to the 45th pick, Hamadou Diallo, and Mozgov for Dwight Howard who was bought out, finally ending the Dwightmare.
—In 2019, looking for cap space as the Clean Sweep approached, Marks traded the 27th pick, acquired in a previous salary dump with the Nuggets, to the Clippers in return for Philly’s first in 2020 and the Clippers 56th pick in the 2019 Draft. The Clippers used the first on Mfiondu Kabengele. (Earlier in the month, marks had traded the No. 17 pick which became Nickiel Alexander-Walker, for Taurean Prince, KD’s buddy.)
—In 2020, again with the prospect of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving leading them to a championship, the Nets completed a three-team deal that saw them pick up Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet and give up Dzanan Musa, draft rights to Jaylen Hands and the 19th pick in the Draft, Saddique Bey. They also wound up with a swap of picks deep in the second round that produced Reggie Perry, a big man who they later dumped.
—In 2021, the Nets surprisingly traded Shamet to the Clippers for the 29th pick and Jevon Carter, Now armed with the 27th and 29th pick, Marks took Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe. Marks had interviewed Thomas on Tuesday.
So, we’ve established that Marks can be trade-happy from the Tuesday through the Thursday of Draft Week, but should he do it one more time? C.J. Holmes writes Thursday that Brooklyn has a number of young players already and argues if the Draft is bad — and everyone says it is — why add someone new who in a normal draft might be taken five to 10 places later? For example, if the Nets took a player at No. 20 (a pick Marks threw out there in the scrum), it would add $3.3 million to the Nets payroll. If you’re trying to husband cap space, is that efficient? First round picks get guaranteed money at least through the first two years of their contract. If the Nets take a pick in the second round, there’ll be no cap effect. Brooklyn has signed their last second round picks, Kessler Edwards and Jalen Wilson, to two-way deals.
As Holmes notes, the Nets do have a lot of youth — and Jordi Fernandez specifically said the Nets youth was a big attraction for him. Indeed, on the night of the the Draft, June 26, the Nets will have Noah Clowney and Dariq Whitehead, both 19, as well as Cam Thomas and Day’ron Sharpe, both 22, and Nic Claxton, 25. In addition, Jaylen Martin, the 6’6” two-way wing signed late in the season, will still be 20 on Draft Night. Overall, the Nets had the seventh youngest roster in the NBA last season.
Marks essentially raised the same question himself in the beat writers’ scrum.
“You never know how your players are going to take that leap, some take it quicker than others,” Marks said. “So, the hope with some of these guys on this roster is that they can take that leap maybe quicker than us. I never want to limit them to that.
“I think we know from 2016 to 2019, this roster looked a whole lot different in three years. So, the opportunity to do that in Brooklyn is certainly a viable one when you’re able to build and you’re able to build quicker than in some other markets. It’s a big market, it attracts stars, per say, if you want to do that. But let’s not lose sight of developing our own and having success and continuing to draft well.”
As Holmes writes:
While the idea of throwing another young player into the fray is enticing, it is important that the Nets do not lose focus on maximizing the young talent already on the roster. Losing sight of that will only make the team’s rebuild, in whatever form that may take, far more drawn out.
The Draft of course is two months away from Friday. That’s a long time and as Sean Marks’ record on Draft Week shows, prepared to be surprised, either way.
- Nets could acquire pick in 2024 NBA Draft, but do not necessarily need one ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News