The Brooklyn Nets may have fumbled the Dwight Howard trade, but they did some off-season playmaking this summer. How did they measure up?
Additions and Subtractions: Drafted Tyshawn Taylor, Tornike Shenglia, Ilkan Karaman; re-signed Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, and Brook Lopez; signed Joe Johnson, C.J. Watson, Reggie Evans, Keith Bogans, Jerry Stackhouse and Mirza Teletovic; lost Jordan Farmar, DeShawn Stevenson, Gerald Green, Anthony Morrow, Johan Petro, and Jordan Williams.
The number one goal for Brooklyn was to re-sign Deron Williams, and although for a split second it seemed Dallas may snag the point guard, he signed back with the Brooklyn bound team for a five-year $98 million extension.
Many laughed that it wouldn’t matter if Deron signed, but as many know, NBA is far more about just basketball; it’s a business. With the team moving to Brooklyn, it was imperative they have a marquee name attached to it and that’s exactly what Mikhail Prokhorov did.
Then, out of left field, Nets traded much of their roster for Joe Johnson; they guy with the “non-tradeable contract” label. Sure, his points per game has decreased to around the 18 margin, but when pairing him up with an All-Star point guard, buckets are about to rain in BK.
Nets also re-signed Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace, sure they may not be as productive as a critic may like, but they will prove legitimate as they complete a probable starting roster for the nets. Some would say they were overpaid, but as we know, Prokhorov has no problem spending money and “overpaid” is all relative.
Yes, they missed on Dwight Howard, but that could be more of an issue with Orlando Magic’s front office, than the Nets. However, you can’t dismiss the Nets and their summer of moves; they had a season well above average of improving the team.
Not to mention their underrated moves for Reggie Evans (tough presence, rebounds), and C.J Watson (backup PG, shot nearly 40% from 3 last season).
Also, they were able to bring back Kris Humphries, despite the Kardashian drama, pumps out double-doubles and averaged 13.8 points and 11 rebounds last season.
The truth is, Nets turned their team from an NBA joke, to a playoff-bound in 2012-2013, and it’s quite possible they will do better than the other New York team.
Final Grade: A-
