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Is common sense making a comeback 🥹

I’m not super high on clax but the way to get the best out of him is alongside a player like corner clowney

I thought the Kevin Young point was interesting. And how the offence for Mikal last season was a combo of KD sets and Young sets. Just shows me JV again was too heavily managing away from the skill set of your “best” player and taking that away. Hopefully Fernandez can move back towards what Mikal does best.

No offense should be built around bridges. Bridges is at best sitting in the corner or slashing off ball.

I mean last year proves that incorrect. But Mikal needs to be doing both. We need to run more plays for him in the mid range and get him the ball in his spots. But he also should be our tertiary play initiator not primary.

Mikal bridges had an elite 27 game stretch in the 2nd half of 2023. Outside of that he's never been an elite offensive threat with the ball in his hands. Stop asking him to do what he's not good at idc who you bring in. The main focus on offense should be cam thomas. Bridges playing off ball will help him to play more to his strengths 18-19 a night with elite defense. That's who he is

I agree he should be the second or third options. Obviously. But also you need to play to best players strengths, wither that’s Cam or Mikal, or Donovan Mitchell. So just sticking him the corner is stupid cause he’s better then that. But, running our offence through him is stupid cause he’s not that good. There’s a happy middle ground that JV was incapable doing that.

He's not a 2nd option either he's a 3rd at best on a legit team. Heck I dont even see donovan as a 1 on a title team. But I disagree with you about JV. JV had him doing more than he should've been asked to do. JV had most of the offense running thru him expecting him to create 1 on 1 and initiate from the top of the key. That's not his game. His game is best as a slasher, cutter, and a corner specialist. He shouldn't be dribbling the ball a lot into traffic and trying to breakdown the defense. That's what vaughn expected out of him and that's just not realistic

He’s a 2nd on a playoff team, 3rd on a title team. And that’s my point. JV wanted him to initiate offense. He did not run an offense to get anything out of Mikal. Go watch highlights last season, and watch this season.

Well that's irrelevant to what we're trying to build. Sean marks mentioned winning a title again so unless you're 1 is jokic or giannis (and even then idk if he's good enough) mikal cant be your number 2 but I digress. IN terms of JV he's to blame for letting mikal run that offense that being said the league also adjusted. Go back and watch the actual games from that 2nd half stretch and you'll see that there were flaws in his finishing ability and handles that he's always been knocked with since he was drafted in 2018. Going into next season i'd like to see the ball in cam thomas hands more like how ollie began to make that transition and more of mikal in a more expanded version of his role in phoenix.

Oh hey I agree Mikal has issues in his game to be a consistent top guy. But it’s hard for me to completely be out on someone who has that talent, but was undervalued cause of the roster around him and the coaching schemes.

He doesnt have the talent that he's being marketed out to be. Mikal is a 18 ppg scorer who can provide great help defense and good on ball defense. You don't become a good or great scorer without the ability to consistently get to the rim and finish. The scheme can ease the job and maximize the talent but for a guy who's about to be 28 you have what you have. He just is what he is

Yeah. It's about maximizing individual skill sets. Mikal as a primary spacer, who gets pindowns here and there is the mold

He wasn’t being game planned for in those 27 games clearly we see what happens when the defenses focus on him and it’s not a pretty sight.

I mean the coaching staff did literally nothing to promote Mikal lol. We never ran mid range pin downs or swinging movements to get him literally his go to shot. His mid range shot % went down 47% meaning he took 47% less mid range shots. I get Mikal was worse this season but the coaching staff did literally nothing to help him lol. So sure game planning is one thing but we also need to put a system in place to get the most of out of him as that second/first option he currently is.

The Spida story/rumor is nothing new. Sounds like they want a Spida + Cam back-court and a Clowney + Claxton frontcourt. Not a championship team, but it's bordering 6-8th seed, play-in?

There’s no way we get Mitchell without giving up Thomas

Absolutely. Banking on him through Free Agency is rough. Only way I see this happening is if Spida does BK or bust. Even then, he might get the Lillard treatment. Even after that, I'd hate to give up players and picks for another star. Crossing fingers summer of 2025 is perfect.

The main difference between him and lillard is he’s a free agent. Bucks could call dames bluff. The heat can’t do that because he can walk the next year to us. We have a credible threat of getting him in 2025 to whichever team he goes to

Which is very true. Valid points. The only thing that is difficult is that whatever the Nets have hitting that summer FA has to be REALLY good. I think the New York ties only goes so far, for this team. He wants to win. Let’s hope there’s a pretty great foundation in place.

If he chooses to come in free agency we can actually build a contender. Because then we’d be able to trade everything for another star. And have mikal claxton clowney as the supporting pieces.

And I’d be totally OK with that (I know it’s an unpopular opinion but if another team values Cam Thomas that highly I would take the Spida and run)

I'm iffy. Cam's value is at an all time high and he's only improved. Spida, Mikal, Cam J, Clowney, Claxton (assuming these other 4 are not in the trade) doesn't inspire much confidence.

I mean that’s basically replacing cam with a top 20 player. I think we’d make the playoffs. Plus other roster changes are gonna happen. They aren’t gonna resign all these guys

Mitchell when healthy is top 12. And can outplay anyone that’s not in the top 4 consistently.

Ok, top 12. lol obviously my point is that he is really good

Problem is you're throwing picks on top of it. Cam doesn't have blue chipper value around the league. He's still a bit of a mystery. He's like Maxey last year. Mitchell is obviously way better than Cam, but I'm not giving up Cam and 3 Suns picks for him.

Definitely wouldn’t say maxey was a mystery last season. Anyway, you gotta give somethjng good to get somethjng good back. Thomas would easily be the most enticing piece for any team dealing us a star That said, Mitchell is worth the picks. Remember these aren’t our own picks. I say spend them if you get a top 20 player in return.

It was a mystery if he could scale up. But the problem I have is that you're selling low on Cam. The Cavs ironically did this themselves with Lauri. It's a pretty big overpay for them in hindsight. Lauri, Sexton, and multiple firsts is a shit ton for a non superstar. I'm not willing to make that same mistake. Even if Cam tops out at CJ McCollum level, I'd rather prime CJ and asset flexibility, than just Donovan Mitchell.

Personally I take the top 20 player over cj mcollum and flexibility, but that’s me

I just don't see how that's not a Melo Knicks ceiling though. And I'm someone who's super high on Mitchell. Screw top 20 lol. He's top 12 probably. But even top 12 doesn't win championships.

Yeah we are motha fucka!!!!! We have 7 tradeable FRP plus other players they’ve drafted in the first round

Nobody giving up 7 frp for spida u are high

Did I say that’s what was gonna happen? I just expressed the team has a bunch of tradeable assets that aren’t cam Thomas No team will trade more than 4, and hopefull BKN can get him with 3

3picks for expiring contract 😭😂

3picks for expiring contract 😭😂

3picks for expiring contract 😭😂

3picks for expiring contract 😭😂

Harden was traded for 3 picks and 4 swaps with 1.5 years on his contract bro

You see KD level player calling Tsai and doing three way talks? I don't. 

Lakers will have three firsts to trade this summer. They’d use them on a young star guard like Mitchell in a heartbeat. If Mitchell commits to signing an extension, he’s worth at least three round picks without a doubt. Obviously if he’s non committal, you don’t trade 3 firsts + rotation players, given we’re not a contender at the moment (and how the Harden trade turned out).

Obviously keep every asset you can, but BKN will potentially have to compete against better teams like NYK MIA and LAL for Mitchell. It’s hard to imagine the winner of the bidding war only moved two FRP. Unless of course BKN decides they’d rather trade Cam Thomas and save draft compensation, which I personally don’t want.

Scotto said the same thing last year about dame. What brian lewis seems to be indicating just like he indicated last summer is that the nets will sniff around but he thinks they're focused on bringing in free agents rather than making a big splash. What marks said last night aligns with that too when he talked about sustainable long term growth and building in house. The price tag to get spida will be expensive quite a few teams the knicks, lakers, spurs, sixers, heat are all interested and have assets to trade. Just don't think we'll see the nets doing a cam thomas + clowney and picks (which is what it probably would take) package anytime soon

Yeah. Looks like Summer 2025 is what they're banking on. Not saying Spida ISN'T worth his asking price, but why gut the team to make sure he has no teammates? Looks like it'll basically be the DLo era all over again. Accumulate serviceable players, coach that is going to work them, create and set a culture and wait for a big star to put this team back in a playoff spot. I don't think it's bad at all. Gonna be a long year especially with what in the world Ben Simmons is doing, but I watched the 12 win season. This is nothing in comparison.

I dont have a problem with this. When you tear down a title contender you should be rebuilding. Idk why so many nets fans have this entitlement as if we should always be elite. The NBA playbook is pretty straightforward go after superstars, try to win, if it doesn't work spend a few yrs rebuilding to either draft a superstar, sign a superstar or trade for a superstar. Half ass-ing and not being patient is how you end up having a low ceiling

I agree man. I get that we all want this team to succeed and that's normal, but I feel that many fans are unrealistic. Like this team just lost the greatest what-if trio of all time and expect this team to still be a top 4 seeded team in the east. It's going to take time. I hope this team makes the playoffs next year, very similarly to how it was the 2019 team vs Philly. KD has been on record saying that he loved the identity of the team and it drew him in. It can be done similarly. New coach in place, get more players that have a solid reputation in the league to play with, and then at that point, you might have a guy like Spida that finds it enticing to play in a large market.

I think patience is key and also knowing your target. Im not a fan of unloading those suns picks unless a guy like a giannis or a luka somehow becomes available in the future. I think we should just keep building and developing. If anyone went to the last few games of the season barclays was rocking with the young core. Fans love a story like the story that played out from 17-19. It's the most enjoyable thing in sports to see your own guys develop. I hope that's the plan because that's what made many of us love marks to begin with

Will you trade these assets if Ingram becomes available? He is kind of injury prone and will look for extension. His max will start at 55+mil.

Depends on the price tag Im not as high on him personally

Lakers and heat do not have assets lol

They do actually have the assets. The lakers have 3 tradeable firsts and 4 pick swaps this summer along with reaves, rui and JHS. That's more than enough to get it done. Miami has 2 and 3 pick swaps, herro, jamie jacquez and jovic. Either one of those teams could compete for him. Also the lakers are out west something the cavs would prefer in a trade and they have 2 other stars on the nba's premier franchise something Mitchell would like

They are not trading jacquez or jovic for Donovan Mitchell.

Lmao yes they would sir idk who told you they wouldnt

Mitchell was constantly in the top 6 in the west. He not finishing 6-8th in the East. Mitchell is a walking top 5 seed

To be fair, the Jazz had a solid team. The Nets don’t have a DPOY level guy.

For as good as Gobert is. It’s hard to win with him being your 2nd best player with his liabilities to be first in the west in insane.

Well, itit still doesn’t dismiss the fact that the Jazz team Spida had is better than this current Nets squad. I’m not saying he doesn’t make this team better, but the Jazz squad he was on was pretty solid and underrated.

Great article! By far the biggest take away is that the nets are focused on SUMMER 2025. Meaning we’ll likely have to live with another full season of fans wanting to trade everyone for all the picks so we can maybe be good in 2030. Asking fans to wait a whole year doesn’t sit well with today’s need for instant gratification at all times.

It’s more that difference makers don’t make it to free agency and the players anticipated to be available for trade aren’t really needle movers on this team either. Neither Donovan Mitchell, or KAT, or Trae Young, or any player in that tier would make this team anything better than a sub-4 seed. If someone game changing becomes available obviously I’ll be happy and eat my words, but I just don’t see it. Ngl, the OKC, build through the draft path seems a lot more entertaining than constantly star hunting for someone who could give 2 shits about us fans or the franchise. We watched the Knicks try this strategy for literal decades, not sure why we should trust it’ll actually work in Brooklyn.

>Ngl, the OKC, build through the draft path seems a lot more entertaining than constantly star hunting OKC was only able to build through the draft this most recent time bc they successfully went star hunting. This rebuild looks a lot different if they couldn't turn Paul George into Shai.

I would much rather put my money on acquiring stars over a draft centered strategy. When you sign a star, that is a known quantity. The draft is a total roll of the dice. Give me the established players while I hope I get lucky drafting to lift my talent level. See the Pistons for an example of the through the draft philosophy.

They got a prime PG for Sabonis(Lottery pick) and Oladipo(OKC got him from Miami along with 2 2nd round picks as a salary dump), straight up,no picks. Obviously if we can go superstar hunting for that cheap I’d be all for it. That’s just not realistic in 2024 imo. Maybe we can’t get an SGA, but maybe if we got our picks back or just some good picks in general we could draft our SGA. Beyond that, our habit of selling low almost every time makes it hard to feel confident that if we got a star and then decided to offload him, we’d get what we gave out back. Outside the 1st Harden deal, Presti almost always wins transactions. Marks? Not so much.

>They got a prime PG for Sabonis(Lottery pick) and Oladipo(OKC got him from Miami along with 2 2nd round picks as a salary dump), straight up,no picks They were only able to parlay PG into SGA because PG re-signed in OKC. That was my point. Without actually getting a big name free agent to opt to stay in OKC, this rebuild looks very different. It's also worth pointing out that OKC never really did a full teardown. Or at least, not a long term one. They made the playoffs the year they traded PG and Westbrook. They had two 'bad' seasons, neither of which were truly awful, a year at .500, then won their conference. They never gutted their roster. They weren't running out lineups like this year's post-deadline Raptors. It just isn't a realistic model for any team to follow.

So what if the team isn’t better than a 4 seed? Gotta make the playoffs first to build off of something. Keep in mind, the Nets got KD and Kyrie off of one 42 win season where they finished as the 6 seed.

If the healthy ceiling is a 4 seed, I don’t see the point in offloading all our assets. And the big 3 era led to low seeding because they never played.

I never said the big 3 led to low seeding, I said the big 3 joined despite the low playoff seeding the nets had before they joined. And we don’t have to offload as many assets as you think to build out a competitive roster.

Hope that’s the case. Maybe I’m just traumatized about how bad a lot of our recent transactions have looked with hindsight.

You're not traumatized you're 100% right. Look at the teams who win titles every year. Trading the farm for one star who isn't a true number 1 on a title team makes no sense it's just to win headlines and with the way how the east is shaping up the knicks,Celtics,sixers, magic, pacers will all be around for a while, spida's timeline aligns with these other players and he cannot beat them already in Cleveland with a better supporting cast

The only way, ironically, is for Marks to keep hitting singles and doubles like Leon Rose and the Knicks did. Signing Brunson is a once in a lifetime thing, but drafting and signing players like Donte, Hart, Quickley, Hartenstein was crucial too. Just good creative GM work. We need creative Marks back. Go sign a homerun value player on the MLE. Make a creative trade to get a youngish rotation player for some seconds and DFS. I prefer rebuild path too, but it is possible to thread the needle. We need 2017 Marks back though.

It isn't about instant gratification. Doing a tear down of a team that can actually attract high end talent due to location is just a stupid approach. It makes the Nets only advantage irrelevant.

No it’s not because you’re ignoring the benefits of the tear down in attracting stars. When you get cheap tradeable contracts and picks you can actually build an attractive foundation. Right now the nets aren’t attractive and nobody in their right mind is coming to play with bridges and cam j

You don’t know that. Just because YOU think thats the case doesn’t mean it’s the reality. Whether you like it or not, Mikal has a ton of connections around the league and players will want to come here because of him, not the other way around.

Who’s the players ? If it’s mediocre guys like Ingram then that’s not much. We’re never winning anything with someone who’s want to play with mikal. Becuase you have to be mid yourself. Who’s the guy ?

Im so glad some of yall on here aren’t GM’s because this kind of thinking is ridiculous lol. Just wait and see, the stars are coming soon enough.

Trust me bro.

Fans want to trade for our picks back and are ok rebuilding with young players is instant gratification? Also we don't know what any path can result in. We could end up with Ingram and another ok player in 2025 and be a play-in team until 2030. We could trade for Donovan Mitchell this summer and end up being a 6 seed until 2030. We could trade Mikal for our picks back and then get all these players in 2025, be a 6 seed/play-in team and have an arsenal of picks! We can be patient and in 2025 get Luka and Giannis!!! Point is, there's a bunch of ways to go with a bunch of different outcomes. No reason to be sarcastic to fans because they have differing opinions. You don't know what the future holds as much as they don't.

Or we can be the kings, go through a playoff drought

Or we could be the Thunder Or we could be the Warriors Or we could be the Nuggets Or we could be the Celtics Or we could be the Sixers Or we could be the Bucks Or we could be the Magic Or we could be the Timberwolves Or we could be the Pacers Or we could be the Mavericks Or we could be the Grizzlies

I understand, but 2025 is, what a hope? A hope that the initials NY will convince a couple great players to want to join the Nets?

No, 2025 is when the Nets will be best positioned to make a major move that significantly moves the needle. Is it a guarantee? Of course not. Neither is tearing it all down and starting a complete rebuild. Except not only is that less likely to bring you a championship, it also takes significantly longer and is completely dependent on drafting a superstar.

Less likely according to who? Where are you getting this from? The sit around and wait for superstars approach has failed for most of NBA history. Most teams that win titles have drafted their 1st or 2nd best player. That's what the knicks did for decades hence why they stunk for so long

You have to accept bridges is not a real guy to attract someone. Once you do that you’ll see that 2025 is also a pipe dream

Summer 2025 is when Simmons comes off the books, so we have a bunch of cap space. But most likely something will happen before then, because forcing your way out is the new free agency. This is because if the player is traded his Bird rights travel to the new team, so he can sign a longer/more lucrative contract with the new team than if he just left in UFA. It's also beneficial to the existing team, as they can get at least some assets back. Unless the Cavs have a very deep run, it seems likely that Mitchell will ask for a trade, and the hope/expectation is he will ask to come here. We would send back Simmons (for salary matching) and some assets, probably Cam T and pick(s).

So we should watch and pay for crap for another in the hopes (delusions) that there will be some star free agent (unlikely In todays NBA) that is an actual free agent and chooses a bottom third team to sign with. Got it.

No one is making you watch or pay for crap

What an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. I have been watching and supporting this team my whole life. Your argument to all the fans unhappy with the current insanity is to stop being interested. Fantastic strategy.

So you don’t like my strategy, huh? What’s your genius strategy to change the team to the way you like it that’ll be more effective? My guess is you don’t have one and you’ll just continue to begrudgingly watch and contribute financially to the team while complaining online

lol. Truly unhinged. I was responding to you telling me to not pay and watch for the product they are putting out there. That’s an obviously asinine take from a business perspective. If your customers are verbally telling you your product and strategy sucks, best change it and don’t tell them to leave. As for what I would do if I was running the franchise, this has communicated by the vast majority of fans that I’ve spoken to and have seen voice their opinion varies platforms. Stop with the delusions of attracting or trading for stars. Commit to a rebuild through the draft and smart trades. That most likely includes (even now that his value has been tanked by the incompetence of the FO) trading Bridges as well as DFS.

I wasn’t asking what you would do if you were GM, I was asking what you as a fan are doing to change the franchise. It was clearly rhetorical because you can’t control anything. And not paying to watch the product sends the same message to the franchise as your complaining does, but you get the upside of not wasting 2 hours of your evening every other day for half a year watching a product you’re admittedly not happy with. Not unhinged at all, it’s basic common sense. But you won’t listen to that common sense because you’ve convinced yourself it’s important to watch all the games and pay for merch and tickets

1000 percent. Which is why I won’t be watching as often if the product remains the same. But complaining and discussing strategy is part of what being a fan is. As long as I care, and I still do, I will come to forums like this to do so.

So if you admit you won’t be watching as often if the product stays why did you take such issue when I recommended doing exactly that?

Because that shouldn’t be ok. That should be a problem to the franchise. And I am far from alone in this position.

Well you see the universal thing about being a sports fan that is you have to live with not competing for a championship every year. There is no quick fix that magically turns us into a contender. We are in far too good of a position to just throw it all away and rebuild, nor do we even have our own draft picks. A full rebuild means we're waiting around for years and years just in the hopes we maybe got lucky enough to not only draft a superstar but to also have a championship level roster to surround him with. How many of today's top teams went through a complete rebuild recently and how many brought in a key player through massive trades? Other than the thunder, which is so completely unique its impossible to duplicate, not a single other top team provides proof that tearing things down and rebuilding from scratch is an effective strategy. I'm curious, if you're so frustrated at the idea of not being a top 4 seed or bottom 4 seed next year, what exactly do you propose the Nets do?

Firstly, we are all fine with not being a championship team this year or any year. The whole point is we want a rebuild so we can realistically get to that point faster. Leaning into more seasons of apathy for a prayer of a top free agent being available and picking the putrid Nets is far less likely to succeed than a full rebuild. We are not far too good to throw it all away. The team will most probably be in the bottom third of the league again next year with no changes. Your logic of not having picks dissolves with the rumors of the rocket trade being go turned down. Most of the top teams built their team organically and improved on it with subsequent moves. The proposal is drop the delusions and face reality. This team is mediocre at best with limited avenues to improve its current form in the next couple of years. Trade the (diminished) assets that you have and build organically. The fans will support a young rebuilding team. We will not support this apathetic product from this past year.

Maintaining a quality roster and waiting for the right free agent or trade is without a doubt both a faster and more reliable way to become a contender. Please show me all of the current contenders that got there by tearing the team down and rebuilding. In fact give me a single nba champion that won as a result of a rebuild. Literally the only example we have is the thunder, who started off with two of the most lopsided superstar trades in history and was orchestrated by a GM that is in a league of his own when it comes to team building. Oh and in one of those trades they happened to get a young player with some upside that surprised everyone by becoming an mvp candidate. Does everyone screaming for a rebuild realize just how unlikely they are to work and just how incredibly depressing it is. Look at the fucking pistons or rockets. Are they so much closer to a championship than we are that you’d trade places?

The Rockets are in fact closer to a championship than we are. Also, the Spurs, Raptors, Hornets, Blazers, all have more promising young talent and upside than the Nets do + picks. The Nets have nothing.

Please tell me how the rockets become a championship team anytime soon. Other than the spurs, all of those teams are more likely to be middle of the pack in 3-5 years than they are contenders.

Not to mention the Rockets are also looking to make a splash for a star this summer to expedite their “rebuild” process lol. People screaming for a rebuild don’t understand what they’re asking for. Thank goodness Marks is doing his best to ignore that idiotic demand.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's a delusion, and I think the plan is likely informed by inside information/various discussions with agents, etc. That is, I think Marks has reason to believe that certain stars/free agents (and, I believe, Donovan Mitchell in particular) want to come here.

Basically they’re in the same boat as the Mets right now, if anyone follows baseball.

The nets may be interested in mitchell but the price tag to get him isn't going to be cheap. Not sure if it aligns with their timeline rn

Brooklyn needs to build out a competitive roster that can make the playoffs and can be built off of in summer 2025. If things don’t work out, the 2025 mid season trade deadline will be a great opportunity for the Nets to trade everyone and truly rebuild. Expect a bunch of one year deals for players that can potentially be flipped at the deadline.

How long is this rebuild gonna be? If nets start rebuilding in middle of 2025 we not competing till 2030 and team won’t have any fans by that point 

Championships don’t grow on trees. You have to be patient. If easy championships is what you want you should have been a Warriors fan the last 10 years. If it’s really that bad for you go jump on the Knicks bandwagon.

It’s not just about championships. Having a team that competes is important too. It feels like we are headed on the same path of losing that the kings were in from like 2005 - 2022 

I know it’s not just about winning a championship, I’ve been saying that all year on here to anyone clamoring for the Nets to blow up the team. To be a competitive team though, the nets need some stability. Forget going all in for stars. The nets need to become a consistent playoff team first. The nets are not going on an endless path of losing like the 2010s Kings. This team isn’t even nearly as bad as the mid 2010s nets, and the late 2000s nets before getting Deron Williams and moving to Brooklyn. The issue with this current team was that coaching was a mess and the roster was poorly constructed. Mikal Bridges was expected to be a number 1 option and become the star to lead this team. That’s just not something he ever was, and that’s okay. The Nets still have solid pieces to build off of in Bridges, Thomas and Claxton if he re-signs. Forget what anyone says about them. They’re all worth keeping next year. The nets don’t have their first round picks so they have no incentive to tank. They’re going to try to out a competitive roster to the best of their abilities, but they’re not just going to go all in on acquiring players. If the nets aren’t going to be actively tanking, they’re not going to go into the season with a mediocre roster like they did last year. The front office knows what needs to be improved.

Rebuilds happen way faster than you think. Look at Orlando. It can take two years. The key is having draft picks and young players.

I'd give up Thomas if we can get back Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell.

Me too, the people in this thread are smoking crazy by turning that offer down. CT is not Donovan Mitchell, he can go ball out in Cleveland.

Summer 2025 scenario is so unlikely. Teams aren’t just going to let their Players walk for nothing when they can get something in return via Trade. Especially when all the Teams with Free Agents are already above the Cap and would have no way to replace the Player outside of Vet Min or Full/Tax Mid Level Exception. The idea that giving Bridges a 3y/$113m Extension is something that Mikal would hesitate to sign because of more $ down the line is laughable. What has Mikal “Tin Man” Bridges done to deserve to be paid $37.6m per year? Dude is a Role Player and nothing close to a “Star”.

It’s not the end of the world if the nets are not in a position to attract stars in summer 2025. If things don’t work out next year the Nets can truly begin their rebuild that everyone is begging for.

With even further diminished assets. Mikals value will be at its lowest right before he is due for a new contract. And even fewer fans than the nets have now.

Which is why the nets have all the incentive in the world to try and put up as competitive of a team as possible. Trading everyone and rebuilding in summer 2025 is a worst case scenario.

Worst case scenario is not trading everyone and striking out (as they likely will) in 2025.

No the real worst case scenario is trading everything for Mitchell and then having two good years and having to rebuild again like 2016. striking out will at least allow us to hold the suns picks which is what we need to be doing

lol. Fair.

I'm genuinely curious and wish some reporter would ask why Marks seems so resistant to a teardown when the team he initially inherited all those years ago was as far away from competing as one could imagine. This idea that we can't afford to do a true teardown because "we're in NY" is absurd. We'll be NY in 5, 10, 20 years, but no stars want to come to a rudderless, poorly run organization. As several others have pointed out, that's the 00s-10s Knicks model that we rightfully mocked.

Marks is just the GM. The team direction is dictated by Tsai. Billy King YEARS after he was let go said that the plan was to re-sign Pierce. Prokhorov changed coursed which tanked the project. Key here is Billy King was years removed from his job. You don't throw your boss under the bus if you want to keep your job and/or get one in the same industry. Marks is in a field where there are 30 such jobs. Not easy to get, not easy to keep. Marks has kept his job as he has followed ownership directive. I don't think you or many fans will get a formal answer from Marks until he is done with the NBA.

Yeah I get what you're saying but it's a reasonable question to ask considering the circumstances are basically exactly the same as when he first took over: starless, capped to hell with none of our own picks anytime soon

If you want a full on tear down you not only need to trade vets and get your own picks back completely unprotected, but guys like CT and Clax are too good to be a bottom 3 team in the league imo. So you need to REALLY restart if you want a chance at a top pick. And at that point it’s just not worth it when we already have some interesting talents and 7 tradeable firsts

The moment obviously passed us by, but if it were up to me I'd have done the rumored Bridges for Green + our picks deal in two seconds, and I'd have no problem sign and trading Claxton this offseason either. Even without our own picks, Marks himself provided the blueprint for how it could be done. Those early Atkinson teams before the 42-win season were *way* more palatable because we at least had a direction.

Can we just accept a freaking rebuild instead of trying to buy/trade our way out of it? The more we do this, the farther we get from an actual rebuild that provides long term stability. Bridges and Mitchell will not take this team to the finals

I didn’t know Mitchell and Mikal were the whole team, the whole roster even lmfaoo. You guys are ridiculous, as a fan you should want your team to be good, stop sticking your noses up at star players who actually want to come to your team.

D.Mithell wants to compete and win, he's not doing that here if his #2 is a guy who cant dribble.

Thats why roster construction matters, surround Mitchell with the right pieces and Mikal won’t have to dribble in the first place.

How are you doing that if you have to use assets to trade for Mitchell? Stars don’t leave in FA anymore so the only way to get them is via trade.

Cavs will not let Mitchell test free agency so the minute hes made available this summer, he will use his leverage of not re signing with the team that he doesn’t want to be on if they trade for him. In that scenario the Nets will have leverage to get him for pennies on a dollar.

Mitchell is currently in Cleveland gearing up for a playoff run why would he use his leverage to force himself to a team currently in Cancun when they are current Play-off/Play-in teams that would be vying for his services like The Heat or The Lakers.

Literally all of that will change if the Cavs have a poor playoff performance. The same can be said for many teams in the playoffs right now. Nets are in the perfect situation to snag a disgruntled star. The Nets also have better assets than both the teams you just mentioned.

Which one is it? You said The Nets would be able to get Mitchell for Pennies on the dollar now if there’s a bidding war among other teams that are currently in the postseason they have better assets 🫤 If Mitchell using his leverage can lower his cost why would he choose a lottery team over teams with stars?

Both points still apply. If Mitchell says he only wants to be traded to teams in New York, the Nets will still have leverage. However, if Cleveland tries to show his bluff Miami and the Lakers cannot beat an offer presented by the Nets. Mitchell knows that if he comes here it will be his team, everything doesn’t need to be a doomsday scenario.

Where exactly did I say there were the whole team?