Right now the Nets have around 18 million dollars available in cap space. Let's assume we get an amnesty clause and Outlaw comes off the books leaving us with 25 mill available. Obviously everything depends on the new CBA. Player contracts, the length of the contracts, an even the amnesty clause depends on it.

So the real question becomes What is the best course of action here for the Nets? Should they go out and get 3-4 guys to improve NEXT season and make a push for the playoffs and possibly more with Deron, Brook PLUS whatever else we get? Or should we gamble and keep our cap space and maybe sign one guy while hoping we sign Dwight Howard as a free agent in 2012?

One way to solve this dilemma could be the smart structuring of player contracts. For example, for arguments sake let's assume the Nets resign Humphries, add Nene, JR Smith plus another wing X. That's FOUR players with 25 million dollars in cap space. Needless to say this is possible and can very much happen, but we'd have a problem: WHAT IF HOWARD BECOMES A FREE AGENT AND WE DON'T HAVE ROOM FOR HIM?

Don't panic. I would think Billy King and the rest would have to find a way to make room for Howard in 2012 by structuring those 4 new players contracts. Right now we have in 2012:

Deron Williams = 17.75 Million $ (Last year)

Anthony Morrow = 4 Million $

Jordan Farmar = 4.25 Million $

Brook Lopez = 3.1 Million $ (Last year)

Damion James = 1.1 Million $

That's approximately 30 Million Dollars committed to players in 2012 not including Outlaw or Petro.

Travis Outlaw = 7 Million $

Johan Petro = 3.5 Million $

Total = 10.5 Million dollars wasted.

Back to the main point, 30 milion dollars committed + we have four new players to add and the cap space would probably be somewhere around 56 and 60 million dollars. Essentially those four new guys, would have to agree and understand that in 2012 they would have to take a pay-cut if you can even call it that in order to make room to add Dwight. Obviously it goes without saying that their contracts would increase from 2013 and on to make up for it, but by then we would not care about cap space anymore since we'd have our two stars and would just use the MLE if it still exists after the new CBA.

So to wrap this up, it definitely is possible to add talent in order to make Deron happy this year AND have the ability to add Howard as a free agent in 2012.

Possible 2012-2013 Brooklyn Nets roster:

Deron Williams/Jordan Farmar

JR smith/Anthony Morrow

Player X/Damion James

Lopez/Hump

Howard/Nene