Kyrie Irving to choose from

What the Brooklyn Nets have now Kyrie Irving Did he decide to use his player option to return to the 2022-23 season instead of leaving Brooklyn through the free agency this summer?

While the Nets no longer have to worry about their most important free agent, the NBA Free Agency still has a lot of work to do when the ET opens at 6pm on Thursday.

Five of the other eight Brooklyn players who saw at least 10 minutes of play in the team’s first round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics could become free agents, including starters. Bruce Brown And Andre Drummond.

How the web connects newcomers Ben Simmons After he joins the trade deadline, will he improve on last year’s team that had to fight through a play-off match to win through the Celtics?

What are Brooklyn’s options with Irving, who is set to reach the final season of his contract in the summer of 2019? Let’s break things down for Brooklyn.

Kyrie is here – what’s up with the web now?

Brooklyn will now have seven players under contract before Wednesday’s option deadline, with both the team and another guard making decisions. The Nets have a second-year forward selection Kessler EdwardsWho will receive the minimum wage if his choice is made after Brooklyn changes his two-way contract to a full NBA contract at the end of last regular season?

In the meantime, Grandma Mills The $ 6.2 million player option is set to be decided after signing a two-year deal with the Nets last summer. Whether Mills is using his will or not should not be taken to mean that he is eager to return. Brooklyn gave taxpayers more money last summer using the mid-level exception, but if he becomes a free agent, they can raise him 20% this year using non-bird rights.

Brown will be an unrestricted free agent after signing his eligibility offer last summer. After his stock fluctuated in the first half of the season, Brown thrived following the All-Star break, averaging 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, 47% of his 3-point effort – not as strong as before. As Simmons’ off-ball shooter reflects on some of Brown’s defensive strengths and previous weaknesses, it will be interesting to see how much the Nets value in re-signing Brown.

All four senior Brooklyn centers will be free agents. Drummond, who started after being included in the deal to bring Simmons to the Nets, is uncontrollable. Brooklyn taxpayers must use the Interim Exemption to pay more than 120% of Drummond’s minimum wage using non-bird rights. The Drummond purchase came out ahead of the pickups Lamarcus Aldridge And Blake GriffinAt 37 (Aldridge, early in training camp) and 33 (Griffin) its value is declining. Web sites can probably be better served with younger options.

Those options include Nick Cloxton, A free agent banned at age 23 after three years in the league. Cloxton coach Steve Nash was the best choice, averaging 10.5 points in 79% of shooting and 6.3 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. Cloxton’s ability to anchor the switch-heavy defense could turn him into a desirable player, with Brooklyn forcing him to give up a substantial boost after he’s made at least one of the contracts that Clogston signed for the second round.

Finally, the senior guard Koran Tragic He will be an unrestricted free agent after joining Nets with a purchase in February. Trajic played better in the playoffs, but next year Simmons (later) and he will not have a big role on the team. Joe Harris Returning from (ankle) injuries.

Web sites have limited options for upgrading

Despite all the free agents, Irving’s preference is for Brooklyn to enter the 2022-23 luxury tax range free agency. If you decide not to use Drummond to re-sign – this restricts Nets from using the $ 6.4 million taxpayer mid-level exemption to add free agents outside.

After adding safety insurance with Mills last summer, it would be wise for Brooklyn to target 3- and-D roll players with Midlevel this time around. Nicholas Bottom LA clippers and Otto Porter Jr. Who can satisfy the best fit of the Golden State Warriors Kevin Durand And Irving with their shooting, decision-making and defensive versatility.

DJ Warren The Indiana Pacers are another interesting option if the Nets are confident he will be healthy after missing all but four games in the last two seasons due to recurrent pressure fractures in his left leg.

Of course, Brooklyn will also explore the trade market. If Mills returns, you can try to deal with the surplus of quality shooters in the perimeter after adding the nets Seth Curry Harris, Irving and Mills in the Simmons trade. But Harris’ ankle surgery may be on a low point after completing his 2021-22 campaign in November, while getting Charlie’s worth of salary ($ 8.5 million) in high demand for a quality player in return will be a challenge.

Looking at all these decisions for the Brooklyn front office the right is whether it is willing to sign another massive tax bill. Last summer, when it was a favorite to win the championship, it was one thing for the Nets to go deep into the line. After the initial playoff exit, Brooklyn had to justify how much extra pay could translate into a deeper playoff run this time around.

Why a trade is still possible for Irving

By using his player option, Irving eliminates the most annoying situation for the Nets: the possibility of him moving to another team with a free agency will get them nothing to replace.

However, the Irving-Brooklyn relationship still has many ways to play out next year.

May continue to work towards a longer-term contract with Irving Nets. As Bobby Marks of ESPN points out, Irving as a player in the final year of his contract, is eligible for an extension until June 30, 2023. If Irving is healthy and productive, both sides may reconsider negotiations during the season.

Alternatively, Brooklyn can still trade him. In some ways, Irving is trading using his will Easy If he becomes a free agent, rather than trying to find a mutually acceptable signature and trade agreement. While it may not be possible for Irving to trade as a free agent for a taxpayer group like the Los Angeles Lakers, signing and trading restrictions would have been tougher.

In a bad situation, Nets is ready to move completely from Irving into the interim, and his expired contract will allow him to withdraw long-term contracts from the group that wants to create salary flexibility. For example, Brooklyn Irving could be sent to Charlotte Hornets Gordon HowardIt’s a move that will reduce the Nets’ tax bill this season, but will allow the Hornets to drop Howard’s $ 31.5 million salary in 2023-24.

The bad news is that this should be a happy day for the Brooklyn administration: Irving did not answer questions about his future at the Nets because he was using his player option; That pushes them back a year – if so.