Nets basic supervisor Sean Marks has signed a contract extension that retains him in Brooklyn spearheading roster selections for the foreseeable future, the Daily News has discovered. Marks’ extension, which was signed close to the start of July per sources, comes because the Nets maneuver an important offseason in franchise historical past.
Franchise cornerstone Kevin Durant has requested a commerce with 4 years price $198 million remaining on his contract, and famous person guard Kyrie Irving has opted into the ultimate yr of his contract price $37 million. But the Nets haven’t been keen to signal him to a long-term, fully-guaranteed deal due to the selections Irving made that rendered him ineligible (or unavailable) to play a lot of final season.
Durant’s commerce request got here previous to Marks’ extension, per the supply. Marks’ entrance workplace employees additionally negotiated new offers.
The extension is sensible from a scouting standpoint: Marks and his employees, together with assistant GM Jeff Peterson, have been adept at figuring out expertise, notably via the draft. This summer time, the entrance workplace has proven its capability to place collectively a whole group: The Nets signed gifted scorer T.J. Warren on a veteran’s minimal deal, acquired 3-and-D wing Royce O’Neale for a 2023 first-round choose in a commerce with the Utah Jazz, re-signed Nic Claxton and Patty Mills on two-year contracts and took a flier on Edmond Sumner, a high-flying wing who has recovered from an Achilles harm. Brooklyn nonetheless has its taxpayer’s mid-level exception, which it will possibly use to signal one or two extra impression gamers.
On Marks’ watch, nonetheless, the Nets constructed probably the most gifted groups in NBA historical past, just for it to crumble one season later. After Marks proclaimed Durant, Irving and James Harden can be “signed, sealed and delivered” as Nets for years to come back, Harden has already departed by way of commerce to Philly, Durant has requested a commerce and Irving’s standing with the group stays unsure. Former Net and fan favourite Bruce Brown additionally mentioned on Instagram Live that Brooklyn by no means supplied him a contract extension regardless of him coming off a profession yr. Brown went on to signal a two-year deal price $13 million with the Denver Nuggets, reuniting with former Net Jeff Green, who the Nets didn’t have the cap house to retain with a bigger provide than Denver.
Under Marks, the Nets sacrificed nearly all of their draft belongings within the preliminary Harden deal, then moved Harden for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks. Simmons (psychological well being/again harm) by no means performed a sport or practiced five-on-five in Brooklyn and underwent again surgical procedure on the finish of the season. Drummond left Brooklyn and signed a cope with the Chicago Bulls, Curry stays beneath contract for an additional yr, and Marks despatched the primary of these Philly first-round picks to Utah within the deal for O’Neale.
Marks has amassed a 217-255 regular-season document in his tenure as Nets GM and is liable for the whole overhaul of what was once a league-worst NBA franchise. Since taking the reins as GM in 2016, Marks’ Nets picked up a popularity as one of many premier improvement hubs in all of basketball with receipts within the type of D’Angelo Russell, Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert, who’ve every gone on to play vital roles on different groups across the league. Marks traded Allen as a part of the Harden deal and traded Dinwiddie to the Wizards for a commerce exception. Allen went on to signal a five-year, $100 million deal in Cleveland and Dinwiddie was subsequently traded to the Dallas Mavericks, the place he has thrived in a job supporting Luka Doncic.
Several of the Nets’ improvement coaches have additionally left the group, together with player-favorite assistant coach Adam Harrington, and former assistant coach Ime Udoka left Brooklyn to take the Boston Celtics head teaching job, solely to comb the Nets out of the primary spherical. Marks can be liable for hiring Steve Nash as head coach of a group competing for a championship regardless of Nash having no formal expertise as an assistant.
If the Nets are capable of finding a commerce for each Durant and Irving, will probably be on Marks to construct a playoff contender round Simmons, supplied Simmons continues to be on the roster. The Nets are reportedly a part of the Donovan Mitchell sweepstakes, and the NBA’s collective bargaining settlement prevents the Nets from buying Mitchell in a commerce if Simmons is on the roster.
Marks has a observe document of figuring out and growing expertise, and if offers for Durant and Irving are consummated, he’ll oversee a treasure trove of draft belongings and younger gamers the franchise should turn into profitable items within the aftermath of the catastrophe that has been the Seven-Eleven Era. Then once more, it was Marks’ determination to trade-in the younger nucleus he developed into the very stars he would possibly lose this summer time.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com