The Nets spent a lot of money in their efforts to create a “win now” team. You remember, that lineup featuring Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Brook Lopez (plus Andrei Kirilenko off the bench). The one that was supposed to turn them into an instant title contender. Instead, they won just 44 games, and received a gentlemen’s sweep at the hands of LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Some blame team chemistry, some blame aging players, and some blame rookie head coach Jason Kidd. For whatever reason, this lineup featuring five All-Stars was a failure.
The cost of building this super-team that never was is a ton of money. The Nets are currently over the luxury tax threshold, and they need to get back under it.
Following from Marc Stein of ESPN:
If the Nets can’t get under the luxury tax threshold by the end of next season, it will be their fourth consecutive season as a taxpayer, and it will clinch “repeater” status. Brooklyn paid $12.9 million in tax in 2012-13 and $90.6 million in 2013-14 before racking up a bill of $20.5 million this season.
So, unless Mikhail Prokhorov and the Nets want to pay an exorbitant amount of money, they’re going to need to get rid of some players with big contracts. The main two that will be shopped, according to Stein, are guards Joe Johnson and Jarrett Jack.
Per Stein:
It is widely assumed the Nets will explore the trade markets for both Joe Johnson (with his expiring $24.9 million deal) and Jarrett Jack (due $12.6 million over the next two seasons but only partially guaranteed in 2016-17) to try to get away from tax territory that way, instead of waiving and stretching Williams. Neither of those ideas is as complicated as trying to trade D-Will himself, with $21 million next season and $22.3 million in 2016-17 owed to the 30-year-old, but you wouldn’t describe trading Johnson or Jack for purely financial motivations as easy, either.
The Nets would love to trade Deron Williams, but suitors for a declining point guard who is a shell of his former self are hard to come by. Therefore, they will likely shop Jack and Johnson, their other two aging guards. Some teams will likely show interest in Jack, as he’s had an excellent career as a backup point guard and doesn’t have too ridiculous of a contract. Joe Johnson, on the other hand, will be hard to trade. Johnson is owed $24.9 million next season(!!!), which is just way too much money for an inefficient shot-chucking shooting guard on the wrong side of 30.
Both Alan Anderson and Thaddeus Young are expected to opt out of their contracts, so that will get rid of some salary. However, those two alone won’t be enough.
Bottom line, the Nets are in an awful position right now, especially given that they gave up a ton of draft picks to acquire talent that didn’t even work out for them. The present and future look bleak for the team. If you’re a Brooklyn fan, you should hope that some team will be foolish enough to trade for Williams or Johnson.
