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Why Nets could be NBA’s most dangerous team next offseason

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints | By Erik Slater | Last updated 10/17/24

After a loud offseason, the Brooklyn Nets are entering another rebuild under general manager Sean Marks. The GM rebuilt Brooklyn once before, taking what many considered the worst situation in NBA history and crafting a title favorite in less than four years.

He’ll attempt to work that magic again, only this time with a stockpile of assets. Unlike Marks’ first rebuild, when he had virtually no draft capital, the Nets now have 15 first-round picks over the next seven years, including their own in 2025 and 2026.

But Marks will also have some plays from his old playbook. The Nets are projected to lead the league in cap space next summer. During Brooklyn’s last rebuild, the GM attempted to pry restricted free agents from opposing teams by signing them to bloated offer sheets. Once a restricted free agent signs an offer sheet, his incumbent team has to match if it hopes to retain him.

Marks employed this strategy in 2016 and 2017, signing Tyler Johnson (four years, $50 million), Allen Crabbe (four years, $75 million) and Otto Porter Jr. (four years, $106 million). However, all of their respective teams matched. The GM could take more swings in restricted free agency next offseason.

“Brooklyn right now is the only team with significant cap space next summer,” ESPN’s Shams Charania said on The Hoop Collective. “They are in a position, in a rebuild. Sean Marks has been very public about that… If they go into the summer with the same amount of cap space, I do think they will be in the game of offer sheets.”

“When you think about when Sean Marks took over in Brooklyn, you think about the Allen Crabbe’s, the Tyler Johnson’s, all the offer sheets. Otto Porter Jr., the max they gave him. That’s the level of flexibility that they’re positioned to have this summer. So I do think that they are looked at in the space as an offer sheet team.”

The RFA market could be flush with young talent as the Nets look to make moves.

Who could the Brooklyn Nets target in free agency next summer?

Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks (left) speaks to head coach Jordi Fernandez (right) during media day at HSS Training Center. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Several former GMs have nightmares about Marks’ poison pill offer sheets. The Nets are in a position to apply similar pressure to opposing front offices next summer. Marks alluded to Brooklyn’s cap space when outlining his vision for the rebuild following the Mikal Bridges trade.

“I think we have to be patient. We’re not going to be in a hurry,” he said. “This build, do I think it’s going to take time? We’ll be strategic in it. But I do think being in this market, with this amount of draft assets, we’ve done it before. And so again, I’m not saying that it’s gonna be expedited by any means, but I don’t think it’s a long process either.”

“There’s great lessons as we built this the first time. The first couple years, we built through offer sheets, we built through cap space, being creative in some of those signings that we made. We’ll take that and try and implement the same things.”

With the NBA’s salary cap expected to rise due to a $76 billion media rights deal, the Nets can open between $30-$80 million in space next summer, depending on roster decisions. No other team is projected to have over $30 million.

The deadline for teams to sign players to rookie-scale extensions is Oct. 21. Several notable names will become restricted free agents next summer if they can’t strike a deal in the coming days. That list includes Alperen Sengun, Jonathan Kuminga, Trey Murhpy III, Jalen Green, Jalen Johnson, Josh Giddey, Jalen Suggs and Moses Moody.

The Nets could dangle a bloated offer sheet in front of one of these young players. With massive cap space and little pressure to contend in the immediate future, they can afford to overpay (within reason) for high-upside talent.

If Marks strikes out in free agency or wants to take an extended approach to the rebuild, he could utilize his cap space in other ways. Brooklyn could absorb salary dumps in trades in return for draft picks, a strategy the team also employed during the GM’s early years.

The tank is on in year one of the Nets’ rebuild. While the team has an eye on a top selection in next June’s draft, free agency could offer another path toward accelerating their competitive timeline.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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