Brooklyn Nets: 5 biggest offseason questions for club

1 of 6

The Brooklyn Nets face their most important offseason in years, with free agency decisions and the pursuit of a superstar just some of what lies ahead.

Following a surprise playoff run and a season during which the franchise’s image continued to be rehabilitated, the Brooklyn Nets now head into one of their most important offseason cycles in the better part of a decade.

More from Nothin' But Nets

For the first time since the moves by former general manager Billy King made from 2011-13 in his failed attempt to build a title contender in Brooklyn, there is real optimism surrounding the team.

A 14-win improvement from a young core that overcame a bad start and many injuries has fans buzzing.

Coach Kenny Atkinson and his staff have already received contract extensions for their work in taking over a 21-win team in 2016 and turning it into a 42-win team in 2018-19.

But this offseason will bring some hard decisions and whatever group is wearing the black-and-white next fall will likely be a very different roster from the one that closed out the season with a Game 5 loss at Philadelphia earlier this week.

One subtle change that fans may note will happen on May 14. The NBA Draft Lottery will be held in Chicago and the Brooklyn Nets won’t really care. The painful process of watching every first-round pick the franchise held from 2014-18 go somewhere else — even landing at No. 1 in 2017 — is finally over.

The Nets currently hold three selections in the draft, set for June 20 at Barclays Center. In addition to their own pick at No. 17 in the first round, Brooklyn holds the Denver Nuggets’ first-rounder at No. 27 and a second-round pick originally owned by the New York Knicks at No. 31. The Nets’ second-rounder belongs to the Orlando Magic.

And free agency looms largest as there is a sense the Nets could be in play for the guys in the top tier of this year’s group of players looking for new deals, led by luminaries such as Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors and Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics.

It promises to be an eventful offseason for the Brooklyn Nets and here are the five biggest questions on the horizon.