Alan Anderson to test free-agency
Brooklyn Nets guard Alan Anderson has a player option for the 2015-16 season, but has decided to opt out of his contract to test the free-agency pool. Although he has expressed interest in rejoining the Nets, he is open to other destinations and more lucrative offers.
Anderson is a solid contributor off the bench, but his biggest value to the team is his defense. In the past season, he averaged 7.4 points, 1.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. In the first round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks, Anderson averaged 11 points, 3 rebounds, and shot 61% from the field in a little less than 24 minutes per game. Anderson has been particularly useful to the Nets during his short tenure with the team because of his perimeter defense, three-point shooting, and high basketball IQ.
What readers said at the time
9 replies came in under this piece in 2015, and they are kept here as they were written — the readers’ words, not ours, spelling and all. The thread is closed; the desk does not take new comments.
jerry254 May 2015
Nets own Anderson’s Early Bird rights because he played 2 years with the Nets.
That means Nets can offer up to over 6 million per year for up to 4 years. It is 104.5% of the NBA league average. Therefore no other team will offer Anderson more than the Nets, if they really want him back, which they should. I expect Mirza to be gone, however. Nets need to get quicker and more athletic, and Teletovic didn’t even prove himself as a consistent 3 pt shooter this past year.Ravi Shah9 May 2015
Although you made some valid points, I don’t see the Nets overpaying for Anderson’s services. He is a solid role player with above-average defense, but by no means should he earn $6 million/year.
Cam3415 May 2015
Anderson deserves at the least $6 million per year.He is one of the best defensive players.The Nets needed him for every minute of the playoffs.The moment he was out of the game,what happened? He has the experience,skill and he’s an ultimate team player.Plus the 3 point shots he makes are incredible.
Ravi Shah17 May 2015
It is important to recognize that Anderson had surgery this offseason and that although it was successful, he is getting old. He is a solid role player and an excellent defender, but the Nets should not overpay for his services.
jerry2517 May 2015
Anderson was basically the same player he was in his first year with Nets, except he happened to get hot at the end of the season (and vs. ATL) this time, and he has been a favorite of Hollins. Earlier in the season he hurt the team, but Hollins stuck with him, to the dismay of fans.
AA was a free agent last summer, and as it turned out, he couldn’t do much better than the 2 year minimum salary that the Nets offered (He had said he had a better offer but wanted to return to Nets). So, with AA now being age 32 and coming off of ankle surgery to remove bone spurs, I can’t see teams offering more than 3 million per year, and not during the 1st couple of weeks of free agency. My point about the $6 million figure, was only that the Nets could go that high, if they really wanted to. Nets however probably won’t want to offer more than one year (keep maximum salary for July 2016), so its possible another team would make a larger multi-year deal. However, once again, Anderson knows that with Hollins as coach, he’d get plenty of playing time in Brooklyn. I’ll guess that 4 million for 1 year will be enough to bring back Anderson.
Nets willingness to pay Teletovic 4.2 M, despite having a bad start to season, is evidence that that Prokhorov is OK with paying the Luxury Tax for the 4th straight year – triggering the Repeater Tax). First priority will be keeping Lopez and Young. Then if Teletovic accepts a multi-year deal elsewhere, there will be more opportunity to make a large 1 year offer for Anderson. Nets don’t have more than the mMLE to get back a decent player.
Of course King will explore moves to trade DWill and JJ, but it should be easier to trade the expiring JJ. Nets could always try to buy out or stretch DWill after Next season.Although Nets are not likely to be more than an average team next season, the good news is that Proky is still willing to spend money again, while positioning them for free agency in July 2016.
Joshua Rudin18 May 2015
Frankly, I don’t see the Nets giving him contract at all. Nets general manager Billy King has made it clear that he will look to sign younger and more explosive guards. It would be a surprise to me if the Nets decided to resign Anderson.
jerry2518 May 2015
Nets only have the mini-MLE and a late 1st round pick to make the team better.
Hollins loves Anderson, and King is going to do what makes Hollins happy, if possible.
Nets can’t get someone of AA’s value for the team on a minimum salary.
If Nets want to get younger and quicker, they shouldn’t pick up Mirza’s qualifying offer of 4.2 million. However, even Mirza is worth more than a minimum salary, although he may cost Prokhorov lots of luxury tax payments.Cam3421 May 2015
In reply to Ravi, first,you should not put an expiration date on the career of a valuable player.Second,there are plenty of players who have been hurt and come back to play, sometimes in even better shape.Third, AA is already underpaid and underrated.
Ravi Shah22 May 2015
Anderson is a great player the Nets should still try to retain this summer. However, if the market offers him more money, the Nets should not necessarily match the offer.