Nets: Writer claims Bruce Brown could land bigger deal than Dinwiddie

The Brooklyn Nets’ front office is currently brainstorming ways to reload the roster for another championship run in 2021-22.

When you consider that all three of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving have two years left on their contracts with player options for the 2022-23 season, this could be the Nets’ last chance to win a title with their superstar trio intact.

In the meantime, however, the Nets will have to address their laundry list of free agents, which includes Spencer Dinwiddie, Blake Griffin, Jeff Green and Bruce Brown.

It’ll be interesting to see how Brooklyn manages these players’ futures, three of whom were instrumental to the team’s success this season, with limited cap space.

After all, the money they command on the open market could very well determine whether general manager Sean Marks chooses to re-sign them or not.

Well, when it comes to Dinwiddie and Brown, senior columnist John Hollinger of The Athletic believes the latter could land a bigger deal than the former.

Nets: Could Bruce Brown land a bigger deal in free agency than Spencer Dinwiddie?

It’s worth noting that Hollinger didn’t reference any inside information. The former ESPN writer’s opinion is based purely on projections and a data system he calls BORD$, which accounts for the “expected quality” of a players’ minutes.

In a vacuum, Hollinger believes Brown could land a starting salary of $14.8 million, almost $2 million more than Dinwiddie’s speculated $13.1 million. Why is that?

Well, Brown’s versatility and position-less style of play, though he may never be an elite shooter, should command significant interest (per Hollinger). He can defend multiple positions, is an elite rebounder for a guard and has fantastic instincts as a slasher. That much is obvious.

Teams are often reluctant to splurge on players who struggle to create their own offense, but in the right system, Brown (as we saw this season) could flourish. To put it simply, most championship teams need a scrapper like the former second-rounder.

As for Dinwiddie, Hollinger expressed concern about the 28-year-old’s injury history, particularly to his knees, as he’s coming off a partially-torn ACL, which sidelined him for all but three games in 2020-21. He also fully tore his other ACL in college at Colorado.

Taking that into account, and that Dinwiddie has shot 31.8% on threes for his career and normally looks for his own shot before creating for teammates, Hollinger isn’t crazy to think the seven-year point guard is overestimating his market.

In case you missed it, Dinwiddie recently revealed he values himself at $125 million over five years or something in the range of three years for $60 million, making it extremely unlikely that the Nets pursue a reunion in free agency.

It’s worth reiterating that Hollinger isn’t a national insider. He’s merely a data analyst and cap expert who makes projections off said information.

What do you think, Nets fans? Could Brown pull off an upset for the ages and have a greater starting salary than Dinwiddie by the start of next season? If both players end up with one-year deals, it might not be out of the realm of possibility.

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