The free-agency flurry has died down, as has the constant talk about James Harden.
With the Nets content to wait for Harden to force his way out of Houston, and unable to offer Serge Ibaka enough to keep him away from the Clippers, Brooklyn has pivoted from big-game hunting and big-name targets. The Nets have shifted their focus to improving around the margins and getting ready for the season.
When they’ll reengage on the three-time scoring champ is up in the air.
“It’s very difficult to discuss hypotheticals,” Nets GM Sean Marks said this week. “We don’t know what’s out there and when it will come to fruition.
“What you can do is prepare yourself to put the best roster you possibly can forward. We like the roster we have right now. I think it’s a good group of guys, competitive group of guys, obviously very talented, and it will be about how they mesh on the floor.”
The Nets tried to add Ibaka to that roster with the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception and showed interest in 6-foot-5 wing Kent Bazemore before he landed in Golden State. But adding Jeff Green on a one-year minimum deal is a cost-effective alternative to Ibaka as a stretch big. Could Nicolas Batum be a fallback plan for Bazemore?
With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, offense isn’t a problem, but stopping people is. Sure, Bruce Brown will help their backcourt defense, and they hope either Green or rookie Reggie Perry can provide physical power-forward minutes off the bench. But who’ll guard the star small forwards seemingly every contender has: LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum and Pascal Siakam?
Right now — presuming the Nets hope to spare Durant as much as possible — Taurean Prince and Rodions Kurucs are the only answers. Frankly, they need another body there, and the 6-9, 230-pound Batum could help — at the right price.
Batum isn’t the player he was when he inked a five-year, $120 million deal in 2016. He saw his scoring drop from 11.6 points in 2017-18 to 9.3 the next year to just 3.6 last season. After exercising his $27.1 million option for this coming season, he was waived and stretched by Charlotte.
At that cost to Charlotte, Batum’s contract was onerous. But on a veteran’s minimum or something similarly team-friendly, he’d be a steal. He’s an experienced defender who can switch everywhere from shooting guard to power forward and help the Nets’ bench or back end of the rotation.
Batum still has to clear waivers, but Brooklyn is believed to be interested. The Bucks, Clippers, Jazz, Raptors are Warriors are also reportedly in the mix, according to French publication BasketSession.
The Nets have 13 players on guaranteed deals, with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s becoming partially guaranteed on Thanksgiving. Jeremiah Martin occupies one of the Nets’ two-way deals, leaving them another two-way and a full roster spot.
Brooklyn has yet to sign Perry, who can get a roster spot, a two-way, or even be signed to G-League Long Island. They’ve extended a qualifying offer to Chris Chiozza to make him a restricted free agent and hold Tyler Johnson’s non-Bird rights. There’s no word on substitute players like Michael Beasley, Jamal Crawford, Donta Hall and Lance Thomas.
