Who Stays, Who Goes? The Brooklyn Nets Off-Season Outlook

Unfortunately, the post-season for the Brooklyn Nets ended on May 1st, 2015 when the Atlanta Hawks took a 4-2 series victory over the Nets inside Barclays Center. The Nets weren’t even expected to make the playoffs let alone get back to back wins over the Hawks. However with the season over, its time to look at the Nets off-season.

There are many players that have decisions to make in regards to their contract situations.Will they stay or will they go?

Mirza Teletovic

We all thought that Mirza Teletovic was done for the season and wouldn’t be cleared for basketball related duties until at-least August. Well, Mirza was cleared early and played in the Playoffs. Its hard judge on what he did in the playoffs simply because he hasn’t had the time to get his legs and timing right after the blood clots were found in his lungs. Mirza was a rotation player and was a reliable scoring option when the Nets needed big buckets. He would’ve probably started for the Nets if it wasn’t for Kevin Garnett. This is a contract year for Mirza and the Nets can’t trade him and probably dont want to trade him. The fans want him to stay and Mirza wants to stay. The only question is do the Nets have the money to sign him to a long term deal or will another team take away the sharp shooter? If I’m Billy King, I’m going to look for a way to keep this pivotal piece on my team.

Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young

These two men are the offensive and defensive anchors on this team. No question about it! They put points on the board and carry their team to a multitude of games won. Thaddeus Young has been a gift to the Nets from the Basketball Gods. Brook Lopez is turning into the best offensive big man in the game and both of these guys are clicking in the playoffs. Whats the problem? Money once again. Both of these players have player contract options for the next season. They can either opt in for the final year or opt out to re-sign for max dollars or sign somewhere else. Both of these guys want to stay but what will it cost the Nets to keep these priceless and crucial pieces to the Nets puzzle? If I’m Billy king, these two guys are an absolute must stay. If they leave, it does reduce the salary cap tremendously but then we would end up with a team that would be as competitive as the Knicks.

Deron Williams

Deron Williams time in Brooklyn run has turned out to be a dud in year 3. Unless there is a trade, Nets fans will have to deal with this for two more years. When you look at other point guards in the league, you see them wanting to get to the rim and finish, taking the big shots, being vocal, being a leader, and most importantly, being consistent. From what we’ve seen and heard, Deron Williams isn’t any of those things. The Nets need to uncover every trade stone in the NBA to rid themselves of Deron. If Rajon Rondo is available or even Reggie Jackson, Brooklyn has to make some sort of trade without hurting their future draft pick chances. If I’m Billy King then this is a guy who has shown me that his best days are behind him. He’s eating away at the cap even more so than Joe Johnson when you look at the productivity to dollar ratio. If I can get a better point guard for less money then thats what I must do.

Alan Anderson

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Just like Mirza Teletovic, this is the final contract season for Alan Anderson. Anderson has played very well for the Nets and is one of the best defenders in the league, let alone the team. He’s very good friends with Jarrett Jack and a highly skilled basketball player. He stuck it out with the Nets all these years so we hope he will stick around even more. If I’m Billy King, I know what Alan has done for me and will continue to do for me. If he can be resigned for a decent amount then I would have to find a way to do it.

Joe Johnson

As high as Joe Johnson’s contract is, he is more tradable than Deron Williams is right now. Many teams would love to have Joe in spite of his $24 million contract next season. Joe has done so much for the team that he’s a real asset. Joe does have tendinitis in his knees and may need more rest than others but can still contribute in big ways. Here’s the thing, if the Nets can stomach Joe’s contract for one more year then its in their best interest to do so. The year his contract his done, you can resign him for significantly less money and have him come off the bench and be a real threat in the secondary unit. You also have a veteran in the locker room despite him not being an outspoken player. If Johnson needs to be traded then that is also understandable only if the Nets get some real value in return. If I’m Billy King then I have to think about long and hard about this.

The Brooklyn Nets

The other memebrs of the Brooklyn Nets are more than likely safe this off season. Mason Plumlee needs to to work on his free throws so he can get more minutes on the floor in tight games. The rookies Bojan Bogdanovic, Markel Brown and Cory Jefferson are all expected to improve their level of play. They have all gotten used to the ball by now but just need to get their range and timing right. Under the same system, these three guys could really produce. Jarrett Jack needs to work on his 3-point shooting. He’s an absolute threat from midrange and the post but defenders don’t come all the way out to the 3-point line to defend him. If the Jack can change that then that would work wonders for this team.

15 man roster and more players on the way

Despite all the draft pick noise, the Nets do have picks in this draft. They can buy picks like they did last year as well. You can only have 15 player on a team so people are likely to be removed from the team who have contributed. Darrius Morris hasnt really showed us what he can do so it would be a shame if he had to leave before that happened. Jerome Jordan can do a lot but hasnt been used much. Earl Clark falls into the same spot. These 3 guys may stay or they may be gone somewhere else by the time the new season starts.

Whatever the off-season holds, it will absolutelty be a busy one for this team. They are now officially a consistent playoff team in Brooklyn and the NBA. Whatever decision Billy King makes, it has to make the team much, much better than what we’ve seen.