CalamityX12 wrote:So you believe the 2017 class is more enticing?
Look at the 2016 class and compare it to the list above. 2017 is way better and it's not even debatable. Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks have both stated this.
what would be the difference from this upcoming FA to the next in terms of draw/attraction to BKN?
In 2016, every team (except for the Cavs) in the NBA has cap space that they can potentially spend and there are very few true difference-making free agents to spend it on.
As I've said before, if KD punts this free agency it actually becomes a very mediocre free agent class overall.
On top of this, I think this is the worst that the Nets will be for awhile.
Selling this year's free agent class on a team this bad just isn't smart. We can talk about the fact the overwhelming majority of players won't be on the team next year but that doesn't matter to them. What matters to the superstars is who's on the team.
LBJ didn't go to Miami because they had a lot of capspace. He went because Dwyane Wade was there, Bosh already agreed to come, and he knew he would be joining two studs. The money didn't matter and it was something they were going to figure out later. They had a huge party on the night of the decision because they were excited about playing with each other. They weren't penny-pinching and trying to think about who was going to get the most money.
The same logic applies to the Nets.
The best superstars are going to look at the Nets and see a (pseudo-)star in Brook Lopez whose foot problems can make him somewhat unreliable, a team basically no draft noteworthy draft picks for the next 3 years, a terrible GM, and a bunch of garbage.
We can sit here and argue about the fact that other players won't be here but we have to remember that the big stars and the home team's free agents usually sign first. Then the MLE and lesser guys sign later.
Even if a superstar saw the capspace, since they're going to take up most of it, they need to be signed first so everyone can fit around them financially, and they have to trust the organization to continue filling out the roster with good enough players.
Teams could promise a star player that they will sign every solid FA out there and if he agrees to sign, all they need to say "Well, we tried and a deal couldn't get done" regardless of whether they really tried to sign a guy or not.
Why in the world would KD or another star trust the front office of the Nets to surround them with good players for the life of their contract if they weren't even smart enough to put protection on 6 1st round draft picks that have been/will have been traded by 2019?
All of this is to say that waiting until 2017 allows the Nets to (at minimum) do what the Knicks did. Improve the roster incrementally to show that you can put a freaking team together and it won't crash and burn. That gives free agents a bit assurance that you can build toward something good and you at least have 1 year to show for it.
You can pick and choose the players you want to retain and they can be ambassadors/recruiters for your team. Some of these guys might not make a difference at all but when you see how some star players are best friends with some of the worst players, you never know what one player could do to help lure in a big fish. Right now, there are only ex-players in Gerald Wallace, Deron Williams, and Paul Pierce who will actively tell players to not sign with the Nets. We need players of some positive value (not the guys we have on our team) to be able to dispel that notion.
Also, since 2017 has more star free agents, the chance of us landing one is much higher than it is 2016. Even if the team stayed the same, this wouldn't change that fact.
But if you combine a higher number of stars to what could/should be a better more attractive Nets team, it again increases your chances of landing a star or even two.
So let's give a concrete example.
Let's say the Nets trade JJ/Jack/filler for D-Rose/Taj/SAC 1st (protected). (I'd also try to find a way to trade Thad for an expiring & a pick.)
Fans can laugh all the want but the players still respect the hell out of D-Rose's game. Yes, a lineup of Rose & Lopez has injury concerns written all over it but it also undoubtedly has some firepower. It gives fans and other players a chance to believe that if things go right, they can ball.
2017 free agency comes around and you have two established borderline allstar players who can now say "Come to our team".
Rose is a free agent. He can say "Hey, the Nets are great. They've taken care of me and I haven't suffered a significant injury since I got here.
If you come here, I'll definitely take less for a better chance to win the title."
Boom...a notable player has spread positive information about the team and now gives other players food for thought.
Lopez can second Rose's comments given how much we've taken care of him over the years. If RHJ is good enough in his 2nd year and Chris McC makes good progress, maybe they will be viewed favorably as well.
With Rose as a free agent, RHJ and McC on rookie deals, you can look at two star players together and say "We can give you max money if Rose doesn't come back or give all three of you $25mil/season to play for us," you now have a compelling pitch to other free agents.
What if Blake Griffin realizes that CP3 is coming to the end of his career and he doesn't want to stick around in LAC for the rebuild?
You can go to him and say "Hey Blake, we've been getting better over the last few years. Derrick and Brook love being here. Derrick really wants to come back but he said he's down for taking less if you and Steph want to help form a dynasty in NYC."
All of these players will be making huge money soon so the need to scratch and claw for an extra million won't be that great. For the guys with endorsement contracts, the need will be even less. What will matter to the best players in the game is winning. We need to present a compelling case to stars but it takes building blocks to get there. Overpaying Harrison Barnes and striking out on everyone else in this draft really isn't the way to go especially if you want to preserve cap space for the free agent that's actually noteworthy.
The Clippers were the laughingstock of the league just a few years ago. Look at them now. It doesn't take much to gain respectability. You just need to be smart about it. You gotta know when to raise, know when check, and know when to fold.