Here are three thoughts on the Nets’ 110-82 victory over the Nuggets on Monday night in Denver:
1. Brook Lopez continued his strong run of form over the past two months against Denver, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds to lead the Nets. But while Lopez has played well, he’s going to leave the Nets with a tough decision whether or not he opts into his $16.7 million contract for next season.
If Lopez opts out, he will be an unrestricted free agent, and free to sign with any team of his choosing. And while the Nets would retain his Bird rights – meaning they could pay him more money, and give him a longer contract, than any other team – doing so would almost certainly leave them in luxury tax territory for a fourth year in a row. Doing that would put them in position to have to pay the dreaded repeater tax – something every team is trying to avoid.
But if Lopez opts in, it seems a virtual certainty that the Nets will be taxpayers next season, and perhaps significantly so. If both Lopez and Thaddeus Young opt into the final years of their contracts, the Nets already will have over $88 million committed to 11 players. Add in the salary the Nets will pay to their first round pick and just one minimum salaried veteran player and the Nets would be in the neighborhood of $91 million in salaries for next season with the minimum 13 players on their roster.
That doesn’t even factor in the Nets using their taxpayer’s midlevel exception to sign another player, or what they’ll do with restricted free agent Mirza Teletovic. It also doesn’t factor in the fundamental problem the Nets have: that Lopez and Mason Plumlee, two of the team’s three best big men (along with Young) can’t play together, or whether or not the team will be sold before the start of next season, as many expect that it will.
So as Lopez continues to produce for the Nets, and potentially helps them make the playoffs, keep in mind the looming decision he has this summer – one that, regardless of which way he goes, should be the defining moment of the Nets offseason.
2. Young was impressive once again for the Nets, coming off the bench to give them 11 points and five rebounds in just under 24 minutes after giving the Nets eight points and four rebounds in 12 minutes in his debut in Friday’s win in Los Angeles over the Lakers.
While the Nets have won these first two games since the All-Star Break starting Joe Johnson as a nominal power forward, it doesn’t seem likely that will continue for much longer. That spot seems destined to be filled by Young, and probably sooner rather than later, with Nets coach Lionel Hollins just giving the new acquisition a chance to get acclimated with his new teammates.
But the nice thing for Young is that with the smallball switch and a perimeter-based system, the Nets are basically just running pick-and-rolls and other simple actions, rather than plays, making it easy for Young to quickly get in rhythm with his teammates.
3. With the way Markel Brown played (10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, four blocks), it looks like he’ll have a rotation spot locked up no matter who is healthy as the Nets move forward.
But when Jarrett Jack and Bojan Bogdanovic return, and Young takes his assumed spot in the starting five, what will the Nets rotation look like? Here’s my best guess:
PG: Deron Williams, Jack
SG: Alan Anderson, Brown
SF: Johnson, Bogdanovic
PF: Young, Cory Jefferson
C: Plumlee, Lopez
The one spot that appears potentially up for grabs is at backup power forward, where Jefferson will likely get pushed for some minutes by Thomas Robinson – assuming he clears waivers, as expected, and signs with the Nets. But either way, the Nets have made a commitment to play smaller and quicker moving forward, and we’ll see how that continues to develop.