Draft Outlook
The Nets had a disappointing finish to a historically good season. They might have been good enough to win a championship, but they weren’t healthy enough. Including the postseason, the Nets played 71 games after acquiring James Harden in mid-January. But Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving all played in only 14 of those 71 games, three of those 14 appearances were cut short by injury or COVID-19 protocols, and both Harden and Irving were injured in the conference semifinals. With two of Durant’s three guaranteed seasons in Brooklyn in the rear-view mirror, the Nets remain a title contender, holding hope for better luck in 2022.
A Stat That Matters
101.9 — The Nets scored just 101.9 points per 100 possessions over their last five playoff games (91.5 in their three losses in Milwaukee) after scoring 117.3 (an all-time record) in the regular season, 128.0 (a record for a playoff series) in the first round, and 120.6 through the first two games of the conference semifinals.
The Way To Go
If the Nets can’t get their three stars to sign contract extensions, all three can become free agents in the summer of 2022. That would put additional pressure on GM Sean Marks to go all-in on next season, and it would render their draft picks far less consequential than the free agency of Bruce Brown, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jeff Green and Blake Griffin. But, as was the case last year (when they acquired Brown and Landry Shamet in a deal involving the No. 19 pick), the Draft can be used to acquire veteran contributors.
Under Contract
G: James Harden
G: Kyrie Irving
G: Landry Shamet
G/F: Joe Harris
F: Kevin Durant
F: Alize Johnson
F/C: Nicolas Claxton
C: DeAndre Jordan
Free Agents
G: Chris Chiozza (restricted)
G: Spencer Dinwiddie (player option)
G: Mike James (restricted)
G: Tyler Johnson (unrestricted)
G/F: Bruce Brown (restricted)
G/F: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (unrestricted)
F: Jeff Green (unrestricted)
F: Blake Griffin (unrestricted)
F/C: Reggie Perry (restricted)
> 2021 Free Agent Tracker
Last Year’s Draft
2020: Reggie Perry (57)*
* = acquired via trade
— John Schuhmann