The salary cap figures are out and the Nets now have $32 million--$31.929 million to be specific--in cap space with 10 players under contract (two partially guaranteed). If this was July 1, that would be a good thing, but it's about to turn into July 8. Not so good.
After striking out on Carlos Boozer, it now appears that David Lee won't be available either. Unless LeBron James chooses the Knicks, he'll likely be dealt in a sign-and-trade to the Warriors as early as Friday. The hope that James will choose the Nets is now very unlikely, with the the betting be he'll either stay in Cleveland or head to MIami to join the other Golden Ones.
So what do the Nets do now? They could try to overpower Lee with a big salary offer ($76 million over five years) but that's not likely. There's no panic in East Rutherford. It's stay the course, be patient. "I think at the end of the day the New York Knicks and Chicago had to overspend on players," a Nets official said. "We are not in the same situation as either team."
And there are still more than 125 free agents out there--and Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Nets may move quickly on three of them: Tyrus Thomas, Travis Outlaw and Kyle Korver.
- Nets stunned by Carlos Boozer's decision to sign with Bulls - Dave D'Alessandro - Star-Ledger
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It's the ROC - Stefan Bondy - The InterNets
- After losing out on Wade and Bosh, Nets don't see their hopes as LeBron or bust - Tom Canavan - AP
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Free-agent buzz: Nets assess options - Adrian Wojnarowski - Yahoo! Sports
- Knicks and Nets Prepare for Life After LeBron Decision - Scott Cacciola - Wall Street Journal
- LeBron's options: Money or dynasty? - Charley Rosen - FOX Sports
- Warriors close to trading Anthony Randolph to Knicks for David Lee - Marcus Thompson II - Contra Costa Times