[ad_1]
Brooklyn nets have long been considered one of the few teams to sign one, if not two, free agents for big fish this summer. They may have come to pole position. On Thursday, the Nets reportedly agreed to exchange Allen Crabbe, as well as two first round picks, against the Atlanta Hawks against Taurean Prince and a second round at the 2021 horizon.
Of note: the transaction will not be officially completed until July 6, when the Atlanta books will be sufficiently released to give him the flexibility to absorb Crabbe's contract. That's the whole point. By exchanging Crabbe, and his salary of $ 18.5 million for next season, to a team with enough space to absorb that money, the Nets do not have to take back an equal amount in the deal.
Prince is expected to earn $ 3.5 million next season. Add the niche value of choice # 17, and that's $ 18 million in extra cap space that the Nets just created. In total, the Nets currently have $ 46 million. Let Angelo Russell walk and they will have more than $ 60 million. And you know what that means.
Room for two free agents maxi, baby.
Indeed, exchanging Crabbe with a team with a cap was the only obstacle to creating a path to a potential candidate in the championship. It's out of the way now. To let Russell walk away from his restricted free-agent rights remains a decision for Brooklyn, but Kyrie Irving is strongly tied to Brooklyn in recent days, the fact that they now have the means to create a space for a second start for join Irving, Well, let's just say that the wall begins to reveal a fairly clear writing.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Brooklyn and Irving have a strong mutual interest.
In addition to Irving, we know that the class of free agents this summer is stacked. We know that Durant and Irving have been associated as potential partners with the Knicks. Why not form the same partnership across the city with better support distribution in place? What about, say, Kawhi Leonard? Jimmy Butler? Klay Thompson? Kemba Walker? We'll talk about it in a moment, but there may even be a way to make a package attractive enough to enter the Anthony Davis contest.
Even if you look at this independent Brooklyn case that ends up catching two big fish, it's still a good trade. Prince is a useful player. He may have a small tunnel as a scorer, but he is long and athletic, he can defend and he can certainly create an offense. To get out of Crabbe's money was the victory. Getting a good player on a team friendly deal with an extra unprotected draft pick is pure sauce. The Nets really nailed that.
And now they become a major player this summer. Again, they were already in the know, but with that extra space and the culture that they built there, not to mention the team itself, it's a very attractive destination. Unlike a guy like Irving, or any other great independent agent, who chooses, for example, the Knicks, who have nothing to offer except the attractiveness of New York City and all the new pieces they can add, the Nets, also in New York, already something good is going.
They were a playoff team this year. They have a crowd of very good players. Spencer Dinwiddie. Caris LeVert. Joe Harris. Jarrett Allen. If only one max player goes, they can potentially keep Russell. If you really want to dream, Brooklyn might consider Russell as a commercial man, as well as other attractive young pieces in an offer for Anthony Davis, or certainly for a lesser-known star like Bradley Beal, for example. of an Anthony-Davis backup plan for a few teams.
In one way or another, the Nets, with a playoff team already in place, are suddenly in a position to quickly get into the fight for a legitimate title. When you think about where they were six years ago when they all traded, including their souls, to the Boston Celtics in a desperate and misguided attempt to become a title contender with Paul Piece and Kevin Garnett, two more remarkable reconstructions that the NBA has seen for some time. It was patient. Incredibly smart. And it's very close to paying big time.
[ad_2]
Source link