Debunking Three Misconceptions About the Brooklyn Nets
By Sandy Mui
Misconception No. 3: Brooklyn isn’t an attractive free agent destination
The Nets’ lack of success, combined with their seemingly dismal future through their misconstrued draft pick situation, make Brooklyn appear to be an unpleasant destination for free agents. Since I already deconstructed how the “no draft picks” mentality is false, this is where things get interesting. What exactly is the Nets’ appeal then?
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When one ponders about viable free agent destinations, their mind might immediately jump to the likes of Golden State and San Antonio. The common thread between these teams is they’ve already proven to be successful franchises. So, they can at the very least, guarantee a deep playoff run. LaMarcus Aldridge, David West and Kevin Durant have already shown that many players will seek this glory that comes in the form of a Larry O’Brien trophy.
Contrarily, the Nets cannot promise a championship anytime soon. Even how soon they can return to the playoff picture is up in the air. Any free agent looking to come to Brooklyn will be entering a team that’s still in its early stages of its rebuild. There’s no escaping that.
However, unlike some other teams such as the Sacramento Kings and neighboring New York Knicks, the Nets have an identity and direction in place, thanks to Marks and Atkinson. This, combined with the Nets’ large amount of cap space ($25 million-$30 million) this offseason and location in a large market, could ultimately be the deal-breaker in whether a free agent chooses to sign with Brooklyn.
Jeremy Lin recently spoke to the New York Post about how free agents have already begun inquiring about the Nets because of the team’s identity.
"“Players are asking about us because they saw the way that Kenny [Atkinson] coached. They saw how hard these guys played night-in and night-out, how unselfish we played. They want to be a part of that, so there’s already been a lot of interest.”"
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So while Brooklyn can’t guarantee immediate success to free agents, they’ll be looking to sell players on the possibility of growing with the team. Leave that to Marks and Atkinson.