Why addition by subtraction helps the Nets
It’s been a productive and surprising off-season so far for General Manager Billy King and the Brooklyn Nets. With seemingly few assets and fewer avenues to navigate, King has managed to meet the major objectives presented to him this off-season.
In a little over a fortnight, beginning on draft night through the early days of free agency, King has acquired young and athletic assets, shed payroll to escape the luxury tax and repeater tax thresholds and retained the core members of last seasons playoff squad.
The maneuvering began on draft night when King flipped second year center Mason Plumlee to the Portland Trailblazers for small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, in addition to adding Syracuse forward Chris McCullough and trading for Argentine swingman Juan Pablo Vaulet in the second round. At the onset of free agency, King quickly re-signed center Brook Lopez and forward Thaddeus Young and then continued to compile young inexpensive assets by signing power forward Thomas Robinson and guards Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington. The flurry of signings continued with the signing of D-League star Willie Reed and the surprising addition of underachieving Knick free agent Center Andrea Bargnani.
The most significant move was not an acquisition however. On Friday July 10, Brooklyn successfully negotiated a buyout agreement with enigmatic point guard Deron Williams, allowing the 31 year old veteran to sign with his hometown team, the Dallas Mavericks. Brooklyn will pay Williams $27.5 million of his remaining 2 year $43 million contract and use the stretch provision to spread Williams contract over 5 years at $5.5 million. The move allowed Williams and the Mavericks to agree to a two year $10 million agreement once the buyout was negotiated.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the Nets, who have invested significantly in the form of spending and draft assets to acquire and build around Williams. The move, however, may prove to be a bold and necessary solution to the many ills facing the Nets. The buyout will allow Brooklyn to escape the luxury tax penalty this season and avoid the punitive repeater tax (paying up to $5 on the dollar over the cap) that the club was faced with. Additionally, the Nets will now have abundant salary cap space for the 2016-17 free agency period after next season and will be able to retain the services of veteran Joe Johnson and his expiring $25 million contract.
What seemed like an insurmountable task less than three weeks ago has been largely achieved in short order. The slogan for this season reads, “Continuity, Core, Youth, Commitment.” Billy King has managed to maintain continuity by retaining coach Lionel Hollins. He has kept the core of the team, Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young while adding youth to the roster and disposing of Deron Williams (whose lack of commitment to the Nets will not be missed). Additions and a key subtraction are the new math for the revamped Brooklyn Nets.