Nothin' But Nets
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Brooklyn Nets: Breaking down the Nuggets deal — who won?

By Chris Milholen

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 24: Kenneth Faried #35 of the Denver Nuggets dunks the ball during a game against the Brooklyn Nets on February 24, 2017 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 24: Kenneth Faried #35 of the Denver Nuggets dunks the ball during a game against the Brooklyn Nets on February 24, 2017 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Brooklyn Nets
DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 7: Isaiah Whitehead #15 of the Brooklyn Nets drives to the basket against the Denver Nuggets on November 7, 2017 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Brooklyn Nets Motive

The Brooklyn Nets have their eyes on a brighter future. Previously this offseason, Brooklyn traded Timofey Mozgov to Charlotte for Dwight Howard to free up cap space for 2019-20.

This led to a buyout of Howard and sets Brooklyn with the potential for two max contract spots for 2019.

According to Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN, the 2019 first-round pick that Denver sent to Brooklyn is protected and will not come to the Nets next year if it is in the top 12.

The second-round pick acquired in the trade will be a 2020 second-round pick (unprotected). The addition of draft picks shows that Nets general manager Sean Marks is loading up on draft hopes. Brooklyn will have its own first-round pick in next year’s draft and will likely have Denver’s as well.

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Now let’s talk about Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur.

Brooklyn previously traded Jeremy Lin to the Atlanta Hawks to free up $12.5 million in cap space. The Lin deal was important in the Nuggets trade. The Nets needed to shop Lin in order to obtain Faried and Arthur’s contracts. Let’s start with Faried.

The Nuggets’ power forward is the final year of his four-year, $50 million deal. This means Faried will be owed $13,764,045 next season, via Jeff Siegel of  Early Bird Rights. This will make Faried the third-highest paid player on the Nets’ roster.

With that being said, should Brooklyn consider keeping Faried or buying him out? Well, there’s one clear answer. It would be smart for the Nets to consider buying out Faried’s contract.

The Nets don’t necessarily need Faried on their roster for the price tag attached to him. The Nets have DeMarre Carroll, Darrell Arthur and Ed Davis who can play the power forward position for cheaper.

Now, Brooklyn currently holds $1.23 million in cap space. If the Nets do go ahead and buy out Faried, the amount Brooklyn will get back is typically around 30 percent to 40 percent of the value of the contract.

It’s important to note this is not automatic, just the norm. Dwight Howard left considerably less behind when his $23.8 million deal for this season was bought out by the Nets.

This means Brooklyn would ordinarily expect somewhere from $4.1 million to $5.6 million depending on the details. It will be interesting to see what Sean Marks and the Nets decide to do with the Nuggets big man.

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    • Let’s move on to Darrell Arthur.

    Darrell Arthur will be owed $7,464,912 next season. This means Brooklyn will most likely keep Arthur. The power forward only played 19 games last season with Denver, averaging 2.8 points per game. Now, Arthur is a consistent shooter from mid- and 3-point range.

    His play does fit well with the Nets small ball offense and is expected to be used as a bench asset.

    Overall, Brooklyn made a good trade if they do buy out Faried. If they keep Faried around, he brings with him a cap hold for 2019-20 of $20.6 million as he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

    It doesn’t  jeopardize their cap space for next offseason, as Brooklyn could simply renounce his rights and clear the cap hold. With that being said, a Faried buyout is likely to happen.

    The huge X factor in the trade for Brooklyn was that 2019 first-round pick they acquired. As said before, that pick is protected and will come to the Nets if it is No. 13 overall or lower. Brooklyn will also have its own first-round pick in 2019.

    If Brooklyn has a similar season next year as they did this year, the Nets will have a lottery pick next June. This is huge for Brooklyn and brings a lot of options.