Billy King met with the media this week, and it was kind of a weird situation. Grantland has reported that he's on the verge of an extension, despite the team finishing below .500, sneaking into the 8th seed by a half-game, getting ushered out in six, and not having any of their original draft picks for what feels like the next millennia.
You would think that the GM, who is responsible for all of these decisions, might be in some hot water, but not in jolly old Brooklyn under the Mad Russian.
When King met with the media this week, he revealed that the team is deadset on getting free agent Brook Lopez back. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, set to make a combined $46 million next year alone, are another matter.
“I'll say it again: We want him back. I want him back, [coach] Lionel [Hollins] wants him back, ownership wants him back. We've all said it. There shouldn't be any more doubts about it.”
But while the Nets seem committed to Lopez, they're ready to move on from having the NBA's most expensive backcourt. King he's open to trading Deron Williams or Joe Johnson this summer
“We're going to explore all options, as we have [previously],” King said. “Will there be a trade? There could be, but I'm not sure. But we're going to look at every option to get better.”
Source: Nets GM: Brook Lopez wanted back, other Big 3 are trade chips | New York Post.
On the surface, this seems like an "OK, sure, see you there" type of situation. Who's going to trade for Williams, who appears to be a shell of the shell of himself that he was last year? He also has two more years left on his contract. Johnson is an easier sell with one year left at $24 million.
But there are teams out there where getting a talent like Williams or Johnson would be an upgrade. The cap increase in two years has teams in a position to take the hit a bit easier. A buyout with Williams very much seems like the more plausible result, but it's not outside the realm of possibility that a team could gamble on him.
There does seem to be an overriding sense that the Nets are going to split up this team, which is a good idea, since it's been a disappointment for everyone. The team just never had "it," whatever that is, that Paul Pierce talks about.
Lopez' situation is really interesting, though. He has an early termination option, coming off of multiple foot surgeries, but also a really strong individual campaign this season. Does he opt out, looking to maximize his current health and land a long-term stable contract? Does he not exercise his option and wait for the 2016 mega-payday due to the new media deal? Does he opt out and re-sign with Brooklyn since they have very little leverage in the situation? That would be the best result for him financially. From a basketball standpoint, though, there are other places where he could do a lot more. Brooklyn jerked him around for five years with trade rumors, never wanting to build around him and constantly chasing stars, even as he turned into arguably the game's best offensive center.
A change of scenery could do wonders for him, but the problem is finding a fit that works for him. Oklahoma City is a natural fit but they've hitched their wagon to the Enes Kanter express. Even the young teams like Minnesota (Nikola Pekovic), Orlando (Nikola Vucevic), and Utah (Rudy Gobert) have the components they want. There's always the Lakers -- there's always the Lakers-- but by and large, Brooklyn could afford him the most stability. Lopez and Lionel Hollins clashed for much of this year, but Hollins seems to have realized Lopez is his only real shot at staying competitive.
Meanwhile, there's a fascinating side question to all of this.
Will Mikhail Prokhorov, who looked to sell the team earlier this year, before backing off on that idea, pay for the repeater tax next year? The penalties for NBA teams go up substantially once they start racking up the repeater tax. And for the first time, King indicated the team is a little gun-shy about the situation:
On the luxury tax, which the Nets have been above in each of the last two years: “The goal is not to be a taxpayer, but if things come about and there's a decision that we think is gonna help us, we will. But the goal is not to be a taxpayer, but if we end up being over the tax and we think it's the right thing to do, we'll do it.”
Source: What we learned from Billy King's season-ending press conference - The Brooklyn Game.
Lopez might want to keep that in mind when he makes his decision. The Nets will happily go into the luxury tax if LeBron James opts out and wants to go there, but may not want to go over in order to put a competitive-not-great team on the floor. If they move Williams and Johnson, that could leave Lopez with Thad Young, Markel Brown, and Alan Anderson along with Jarrett Jack.
Something to think about.
Either way, it appears changes are headed to Barclays Center, and for once it's not just in the all-grass-fed menu on the concourse.
