Brooklyn Nets should pursue only 1 free agent this summer

The NBA free-agent frenzy will begin July 1. The Brooklyn Nets should only pursue one free agent that they are fairly familiar with — Joe Harris.

The Brooklyn Nets made big headlines last week when they acquired Dwight Howard from the Charlotte Hornets for Timofey Mozgov, two second-round picks and cash.

Shortly after the big trade, the Nets and Howard agreed to enter into buyout talks which will make the big man a free agent. Howard is on an expiring contract worth $23.8 million.

According to Chris Haynes of ESPN, Howard wants to join a winning team this summer.

"I want to be in a situation where I have an opportunity to help a team win. That’s my only goal. All I need is a real chance and a clean slate where it’s not people talking about my past."

When the buyout becomes official, Brooklyn will have just under $9 million to spend this summer. The Nets will not make any big splashes this summer. They have already made their biggest move last week with the Howard trade and have their eyes set on 2019 free agency.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Howard trade gives Brooklyn two max contract spots in 2019-20.

Deal includes Nets sending two future second-round picks and cash to Charlotte for Howard, who has a $23.8M expiring contract. https://t.co/v4sOImIHl2
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2018

The Nets have a big advantage when re-signing Joe Harris. Brooklyn has early Bird rights with Harris, so they can exceed the cap to retain him, but they can’t offer him a deal longer than four years.

Contract Options

Since Harris has under six years of NBA service, Brooklyn could give Harris up to 25 percent of the cap, per Larry Coon at CBAFAQ.com. This can mean Harris can be offered $25.5 million for the first year, based on the estimated $101 million cap figure.

Harris’ market value is around $4 million to $7 million per year, according to an article by Michael Scotto of The Athletic written in April. Since Harris is a restricted free agent, the Nets might have to pay more than his market value if they have to match another team’s offer sheet to Harris.

If that was the case, Harris would be looking at a four-year contract estimated around $20 to $30 million a year.

Harris wants to remain in Brooklyn

With all the contract talks aside, Harris wants to remain as a Brooklyn Net. According to David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders, Harris had indicated he wants to stay in Brooklyn since March.

"Yeah, it’s one of those things that I’ll worry about that sort of decision when the time comes. But I have really enjoyed my time in Brooklyn,. It’s a great organization with a lot of good people, and they try and do stuff the right way. I enjoy being a part of that and trying to kind of rebuild and set a good foundation for where the future of the Brooklyn Nets is."

Why re-signing Joe Harris is important

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Re-signing Harris is a must for Brooklyn. Since his arrival to Brooklyn in 2016, he has been consistent and embraces his role.

Last season, Harris made himself a fan favorite in Brooklyn. Throughout the season, Harris remained healthy playing a total of 78 games. Out of those 78 games, Harris started 14 of them.

Another important reason Brooklyn should re-sign him is his play at the wing position. He is an excellent three-point shooter who can also drive the basket with authority. He shot 41.9 percent from behind the arc this past season.

To go along with his driving, he is a great free-throw shooter. He shot 82.7 percent from the free throw line last season.

The wing position is also very important with the small-ball offense Brooklyn favors to run. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson runs a small ball offense due to the weakened frontcourt. Brooklyn does not have many big men besides from Jarrett Allen.

Brooklyn cannot afford to lose Harris due to the importance of the wing position. Nets general manager Sean Marks knows Harris could be a perfect fit for the Nets long-term plan.

Next: Nets best 10 players from 1st NBA decade

NBA free agency officially begins July 1.