NBA Contenders Await Nets' Buyout Decisions

Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images

You didn’t have to be tea-leaves literate to gather that the Nets would be quiet on NBA Trade Deadline Day. Brooklyn General Manager Sean Marks, in a rare occurrence, was a mere spectator on Thursday while the rest of the league shook up their rosters with moves big and small.

For those who were expecting additional roster degradations in furtherance of a tanking mission, that should have been put to bed when the Nets suited up wing Cam Johnson for the first time since January 21, as well as all other players with trade value save for injured players Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney, for Wednesday’s 119-102 defeat to visiting Washington. You can argue over the wisdom of keeping Johnson for the rebuild (I’m on the pro CJ side), but if Marks had even thought about engaging with a trade partner for either Johnson or others that have been recently mentioned in rumors like centers Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe, why would the organization risk an injury that could potentially blow up a deal?

However, the Nets will remain in the news through March 1, the last day a player can be waived and still be eligible to play in the NBA Playoffs with a new team. Already, there are reports that the Nets and Ben Simmons are negotiating a buyout, with the Clippers and the Cavs said to be among the interested teams should he shake free. (Note: There are seven clubs over the first apron who are not allowed under the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement to sign a waived player whose pre-existing salary is above $12.8 million. Simmons is on an expiring $40.338 million contract.)

Buying out Simmons could have multiple positive impacts on the Nets, or at least Nets fans who hope the team loses all 31 of its remaining games. Though I’ve often ranted about Simmons’ limitations as a player, when the next man up at point guard becomes two-way Reece Beekman, that’s a severe downgrade.

In addition, the Nets are just approximately $677,000 under the luxury tax threshold, a line that they do not want to breach lest they become repeat offenders with tax penalties under the CBA. One of Marks’ endearing qualities to agents is that he often rewards certain two-way players with standard NBA contracts for the final month or so. Unfortunately, such little wiggle room is problematic. Waiving out-for-the-season guard De’Anthony Melton would create a roster spot for a Beekman, Tyrese Martin, or Tosan Evbuomwan, but it would not eliminate the cap charge. The same would apply should Marks wish to elevate Long Island Net Killian Hayes to an NBA deal.

Simmons, however, should be giving the Nets a significant haircut considering all the travails the team has had to accommodate since Marks’ dim-witted decision to accept him in the 2022 James Harden trade to Philadelphia. The Nets were supportive throughout Simmons’ recoveries from two back surgeries and other ailments, always leaning on the side of his health when determining his availability for games. Once on the court, there were never any snide remarks as to his flaws, unlike during his time with the Sixers. No mentions of his apparent fear of getting fouled because he never worked through his free throw shooting issues, maybe just a few soft pushes for him to be “more aggressive.” If you don’t believe me, just go through the past public statements from Simmons and his agent, Bernard Lee.

As such, I would hope that Simmons, who could make up some of the lost income on his new contract, and Marks can come to an agreement that would benefit Simmons’ less cash-flush teammates. I would expect that Martin would be the first beneficiary.

As for other potential buyouts, many analysts are assuming Bojan Bogdanovic, who has yet to suit up this season following this past summer’s Mikal Bridges trade to the Knicks, will have to hold on-court tryouts for Brooklyn once he is cleared from offseason foot and wrist surgeries before a contender makes inquiries about offering a commitment. The Nets have been withholding his return-to-play information from the media like it’s a state secret—as of this writing, he has yet to even practice. Like Simmons, Bogdanovic’s approximately $19 million expiring contract makes him off limits to apron teams, like the Knicks.

But what about D’Angelo Russell? Anyone else find it strange that there have been zero reports that the Nets or Russell are looking for ways to extradite him and his nearly $19 million contract out from this hellhole? If there’s a pending unrestricted free agent on the Nets who could wreck their tank, it’s DLo. Even on a night like Tuesday against Houston where he went 3-for-15, he still had the ice in his veins to drain the game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds.

Maybe Russell and his agent haven’t yet been (discreetly) approached by a contender that yearns for his services. Otherwise, keeping him through the season doesn’t make sense for either party. He may publicly claim how much he missed the love he had in Brooklyn during his first run here that ended when he was included in the 2019 Kevin Durant sign-and-trade, but he didn’t exactly build on Tuesday’s euphoric ending when the lowly Wizards came to town the next night. To me, his apparent indifference that resulted in three turnovers on simple ballhandling in the first 3:14 set the tone for a desultory team performance.

There’s still time for Marks to come up with a plan for the end-of-season plummet to the finish line. They may not have participated in the frenzied trade deadline day activity, but the Nets don’t intend to stay below the radar going forward. A couple of their decisions will be monitored league wide.