Nets pushing forward with youth movement

The New Jersey Nets made LeBron James a strong pitch. They offered him a future All-Star at center, a former All-Star at point guard, and an opportunity to align himself with his hip-hop mogul friend and the league's newest and most intriguing owner. They were ready to make him the King of Brooklyn in two years.

But all of that couldn't compete with the chance to team with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and create a potential dynasty in Miami. Now, every team in the Eastern Conference, including the Nets, has to wonder how they're going to compete with the new big three for the next six years.

Not only did the Nets fail to bring James to New Jersey, but they also struck out in their attempts to fill their hole at power forward with an All-Star like Carlos Boozer or David Lee. And so they have moved on to Plan Y.

Y is for youth. Needing to fill out their roster, the Nets have turned to some of the youngest free agents on the market. They started with 25-year-old Travis Outlaw to give them some scoring on the wing. On Saturday, they reached an agreement with 24-year-old Johan Petro to back up Brook Lopez. And on Monday, they're expected to sign 24-year-old Anthony Morrow, a restricted free agent who would provide some much needed shooting, to an offer sheet.

Quinton Ross (29) and Devin Harris (27) are the only Nets over the age of 25. Though they're missing a superstar like Kevin Durant, the roster is starting to look a lot like the one Sam Presti has put together in Oklahoma City. And while Lopez (22) isn't on Durant's level, he has the chance to be one of the league's best centers and an All-Star many times over.

The deals for Outlaw ($35 million over five years) and Petro ($10 million over three) may seem a little rich, but the Nets remain very flexible financially. If the Warriors don't match the three-year, $12 million offer to Morrow, the Nets' roster of 13 (which includes two undrafted free agents with non-guaranteed deals) will be set to make less than Miami's three stars next season.

In fact, the Nets' payroll is still more than $4 million less than the league-mandated minimum and $18.5 million under the salary cap. They'd like to add a power forward to allow No. 3 pick Derrick Favors to start the season on the bench, as well as a back-up point guard.

Thirty-year-old veterans Udonis Haslem and Luis Scola (restricted) are reportedly on their short list at the four, but may be too pricey for their needs. New coach Avery Johnson envisions Favors as a starter by the end of his rookie season, so, having already struck out with Boozer and Lee, the Nets don't want to break the bank for someone projected to be the team's third big man in less than a year.

Jordan Farmar is a target at the point. Farmar is a four-year vet and two-time champ, but is still just 23 years old, a perfect fit for Plan Y, especially with Harris having missed 49 games to injury over the last three seasons.

No matter who else they add, the Nets will remain well under the cap. That, along with a stockpile of young assets and draft picks, might allow them to take advantage of an opportunity to add a star player down the line via trade. And it might put them in better financial position than any other team when a new collective bargaining agreement goes into effect a year from now.

It's not quite what we expected from the "Blueprint for Greatness," but the Nets will be an improved team next season. In addition to the players they've added, they'll have a real coach for the first time since Lawrence Frank was fired last November.

Just how improved will depend on a lot of things. They'll need Lopez to continue to develop on both ends of the floor. They'll need Harris to start playing defense again. They'll need Favors to get up to speed quickly. And they'll need role players to make shots.

In short, the Nets will need the whole to be greater than the sum of the parts. And that's on both Johnson, to get them playing defense as a unit, and Harris, to keep the ball moving on offense.

The Nets didn't get the quick fix that they were looking for this summer, but sometimes, good things come to those who wait.

John Schuhmann is a staff writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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