The Brooklyn Nets are bound to experience roster turnover after the 2019-2020 season ends.
It’s no secret big changes are coming to Brooklyn. The Nets signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last offseason and parted ways with head coach Kenny Atkinson in the middle of this year. Based on that alone, we can assume there will be even more turnover as the team gears up for a championship run for the 2020-2021 campaign.
With a stacked class of players set to hit the open market in October (get used to the new protocol!), the Nets will likely be moving on from these three players in order to make room for others who will better complement Durant and Irving.
3. Garrett Temple
The veteran journeyman signed with the Nets last offseason and has a $5 million team option for next year. While it’s possible Brooklyn exercises it, we have to remember every penny counts, especially with Irving and Durant taking up so much of the payroll. For a guy who’s had a career season at the age of 33, it could be a bargain, but the Nets have the unrestricted free agency of Jarrett Allen to worry about. With money likely coming off the books (with the next players we will mention), it’s possible Temple is retained, but when you consider guys like Danilo Gallinari, Montrezl Harrell, Davis Bertans and others will be unrestricted free agents, that $5 mil can go a long way in ensuring their signatures.
2. Joe Harris
Nets fans probably won’t be happy about this, but the reality is that Joe Harris will likely be pricing himself out of Brooklyn. His play really started to pick up two seasons ago and then he led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage last year en route to the Nets’ surprising campaign and run to the playoffs. He’s still shooting over 41% from 3-point land this year and is averaging a career high in points (13.9) and rebounds (4.3) per game in 2019-2020. With the way players are getting paid in today’s NBA, it’s almost a foregone conclusion Harris will get offered big money by another team in desperate need of an efficient shooter from downtown. Harris signed a two-year, $16 million deal before his career campaigns, so his price tag is about to skyrocket, especially since he’ll be the best shooter on the open market. Perhaps there’s a chance he’ll want to work out a team-friendly deal to remain in Brooklyn to stay on a top contender during this fruitful window of 2-3 seasons, but that’s far from guaranteed since he’ll be entering his age-29 season in 2020-2021.
1. Spencer Dinwiddie
The fact of the matter is that it’s clear Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyrie Irving cannot co-exist. Dinwiddie will not settle for a backup role behind Irving especially since he’s played at an All-Star level after Irving went down with an injury. Plus, there’s no chance he’s going to exercise his $11.4 million player option after the 2020-2021 season. He just turned 27 and has registered career highs in points (20.6), assists (6.8) and rebounds (3.5) per game as he enters his prime. Let’s also not forget he’s already said if fans contribute enough to the Bitcoin GoFundMe for his next contract, he’ll let them decide where to play. Though that’s not going to happen, it’s clear he has other ambitions, whether that being accruing more wealth or being the go-to point guard on a contending team. Additionally, he just bought a home in San Antonio, so we’re not sure what that means for his NBA future. There’s always demand for point guards who can score and facilitate, so expect Dinwiddie’s value on the trade market this offseason to be at an all-time high given his bargain salary and the fact he probably won’t be re-upping with BK when he eventually becomes a free agent.