Howard Beck talks critical offseason for the Brooklyn Nets in the post-Kevin Durant era

6 Comments

1. Jonathan Oscategui 1 year ago

   Hello everyone. First this off-season for the new Brooklyn era is very important for a multitude of reasons…

   The first priority is making sure to keep Mikal Bridges Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton as part of the main core going forward. Mikal Bridges proved he's an ultimate competitor and skilled player on both offense and defense. He has potential to take his game to an even bigger level next season.

   Cam Johnson who has earned a pay raise this off-season just got better and better in his time in Brooklyn. His athletic abilities combined with his height defense and versatile offense are a special commodity to have in a player. Johnson showed in the playoffs he can take his versatile offense to another level with dunks interior scoring jumpshots layups and three pointers.

   Nic Claxton meanwhile took major leaps this season on offense and especially defense. He established a consistency for himself as well as increasing his blocks and rebounding numbers. Plus his ability to guard one through five was evident throughout the season and hoping he can take that consistency to another level next season….

   Overall Brooklyn has the defensive core to build around. It's about finding players who embrace the Brooklyn culture and play with a competitive offensive mindset and a gritty pitbull defensive mentality…

2. Jonathan Oscategui 1 year ago

   Besides the trio of Mikal Bridges Cam Johnson and Nic Brooklyn needs to figure out where they stand on Dorian Finney Smith Spencer dinwiddie Royce o Neale joe Harris patty Mills and Cam Thomas.

   Dorian Finney Smith showed what a defensive anchor and competitor he can be especially when he was delivering on both sides of the ball in important games against the Heat Nuggets Celtics and Hawks. He helped establish Brooklyn defensive identity no doubt. Plus his hand injury could have been a reason his offensive numbers were lower. However the only reason Brooklyn would trade Doe is if they want to get at least two first round draft picks to make a bigger move down the line. Otherwise Dorian Finney Smith is a prime contributor of Brooklyn core going forward.

   Royce o Neale had a career year as far as not only being a glue guy on defense but taking on a variety of roles from scoring, rebounding , steals, blocks, three pointers, assists, and deflects. More importantly Royce had some game winning shots. However Royce o Neale would have a higher chance of getting traded over Doe given the fact he could fetch a top first round draft pick for Brooklyn and be a solid contributor on another team who needs his skillset. Otherwise he would be a great bench piece for Brooklyn going forward.

   Spencer dinwiddie would only be traded if Brooklyn has a big trade in mind. Otherwise his value as a scoring guard, playmaker and assist maker could help Brooklyn in the starting unit or off the bench as a sixth man. Meanwhile Joe Harris unfortunately has not looked like himself since his ankle surgeries and is just a weakness on defense. More importantly his offensive numbers have dipped tremendously and his playoff numbers are just not good… Given hes on a final 18 million contract he has a big chance of getting traded as part of a big deal in the off-season. Same goes for Patty Mills who regardless of his veteran leadership his defense is non-existent and his offense just doesn't fit Brooklyn's new system. He also has a likely chance of being traded as salary filler in a trade .

   Lastly cam Thomas is a scoring prodigy who took leaps as far as increasing his 40 point stats. However he has been stuck in that one gear on offense. He hasn't shown a willingness to improve his defense or play without the ball by being a consistent playmaker and helping his teammates get better scoring looks. Cam Thomas might need another change of scenery if he wants a bigger role and could get Brooklyn another top first round draft pick or be used in a bigger trade…

   Ultimately the directions of these players will help dictate the other moves Brooklyn hopes to make in free agency and the trade market…

3. Jonathan Oscategui 1 year ago

   Then there is the Ben Simmons situation. Ultimately the Ben Simmons trade has not yielded the desired results. Last year Ben Simmons showed some glimpses of the elite defense and assist passes thst he's well known for as a player. However other times he looked lost on both sides of the game and again looked hesitant at scoring the ball…

   The worse part is Ben Simmons back issues seem to be a chronic issue that has caused Ben to be unavailable for back to back postseasons and coupled with his max contact on his last two years has put Brooklyn in a bind as far as his long term fit in Brooklyns future…

   Ultimately if Brooklyn considers the trade route Damian Lillard and Jordan Poole make the most sense. If Brooklyn wants to be a very competitive team and make a possible winning move trading Ben Simmons for Damian Lillard is a big move. That would create a new big four with Damian Lillard Mikal Bridges Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton. Lillard would finally be surrounded by a top defensive squad that could allow his insane scoring to go up more levels.

   However given the Warriors are entering a massively luxury tax, are almost empty on draft picks and facing a possible Draymond Green trade possibility Brooklyn could strike a massive deal with them.

   Brooklyn could build a trade package around Ben Simmons with some draft picks and veteran contracts in Royce o Neale and Patty Mills in exchange to get another big foundational piece in Jordan Poole.

   Jordan Poole has shown what a explosive scorer and shot maker he can be when surrounded by the right defense which Brooklyn has in their core.

   Plus a possible Jordan Poole Mikal Bridges Cam Johnson Dorian Finney Smith and Nic Claxton rotation could be a strong new core as far as their future goes….

   Ultimately Brooklyn will probably see how Ben Simmons responds for the first four months before the trade deadline to see if he can increase his value and more importantly be healthy and available on the court.

   If Ben Simmons can do that and be an effective playmaker and elite defender then Brooklyn new defense as currently constructed could be a tough out next season….

4. Jonathan Oscategui 1 year ago

   As far as free agency goes if Brooklyn could convince Brook Lopez to return for one last dance, it would be a big move for Brooklyn. Lopez is Brooklyn's franchise leading scorer and always felt like he had some unfinished business in Brooklyn…

   Getting Lopez would help solve Brooklyn rebounding issues and possibly having both Lopez and Claxton on the court would be a tough combo to handle…. 🔥

5. E King 1 year ago

   You had great questions that we all wanted to hear his prospects on. I don't agree with the Harden trade. We gave up to much to get him. They did not have to grant his request.

6. Channyng 1 year ago

   Hearing Howard sum it up the way he did it sounds like Sean let the organization down not being ballsy enough to tell James harden and KD, No, your staying under contract and you can make yourself look bad if you want too but we traded too much to get you to trade you on such a quick turnaround.