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If the Nets decide to keep most of their core, re-sign Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, add a draft pick or two and sign a veteran to the MiniMLE, the cost would be staggering. By some estimates, payroll, luxury taxes and the (dreaded) repeater tax could cost Mikhail Prokhorov $165 million ... on top of the nearly $400 million the roster has cost him since the team moved to Brooklyn.
It's not likely, but increasingly there are hints that the Nets may defer big roster moves until the trade deadline when Joe Johnson's expiring deal will be a lot more digestible and Deron Williams deal possibly more attractive if he plays well (enough) this season. At the same time, the Nets new buzz word is "continuity," keeping the team and coaching staff together, believing that alone will give the team an advantage.
Is it born out of necessity? Of that, there's little doubt, but it was on display again Tuesday night in Brooklyn at a meeting of season ticket holders. Billy King and Dmitry Razumov, along with Brett Yormark spoke about team plans..
"The goal is still winning a ring. Whatever could be done to further that goal is being done." - Dmitry Razumov pic.twitter.com/6K3NklcZ6l
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) June 24, 2015
"We're gonna try to keep some of these guys together...continuity, those are the teams that tend to win."- Billy King pic.twitter.com/M0zeOQzQ5c
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) June 24, 2015
Of course, as Howard Beck points out, the Nets may not have much choice in the matter.
@NetsDaily Translation: We can't get anyone to take Deron's contract, so we'll just have to keep him until it expires.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) June 24, 2015
By Thursday night, we'll know a lot more about the plan and its execution. The Nets have traditionally used Draft Night to make big deals, dumping players like Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter and acquiring the likes of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Bojan Bogdanovic. In fact, no Draft Night has gone without a Nets trade since 2007.