Goal #2: Decide what you want to do with Russell and Dinwiddie
The Nets are going into a season where they should expect to be more competitive in the East. As has been noted, they can shoot the basketball from outside, and they have capable rim-runners that can run the floor. As the season progresses, though, they’ll need to monitor their situation in regards to their two primary playmakers. Both of those players will be free-agents (Dinwiddie will be unrestricted, and Russell can become restricted).
The Athletic’s Michael Scotto had more to add on the Russell side of things after next season, a time when he could warrant a max contract or agree to a qualifying offer with the Nets (h/t Chris Milholen of Fansided’s Nothin’ But Nets).
“Brooklyn and Russell’s camp have not discussed an extension yet a league source told The Athletic. The 22-year-old guard is owed $7.02 million this upcoming season and is eligible for a $9.16 million qualifying offer and restricted free agency next summer if he doesn’t agree to a rookie scale extension before the start of the regular season in October.”
To me, the Nets should be very cautious in regards to signing Russell to a rookie scale max extension. He’s a player that has missed “an escalating number of games” in each NBA season he’s been in the league, as user Net Income of SB Nation’s NetsDaily noted a few months ago.
That’s not a great sign for a guy who is only 22. If I’m the Nets, I’d strongly consider moving Russell for a package of draft picks. In addition, as that NetsDaily writer demonstrated, Dinwiddie and Hollis-Jefferson will be due for a raise, too, which would cut into Brooklyn’s 2019 cap space.
“Similarly, the Nets are waiting on Spencer Dinwiddie. The Nets can’t talk to him about an extension -at least officially- until December 8, the second anniversary of his very team-friendly three-year deal. He will be eligible for a contract as large as $44 million over four years. They two sides can always defer until next July.
And a member of the 2015 Draft class, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson can also be extended. (Bobby Marks of ESPN has suggested that might be a wise move.)”
With the Nets feasibly having enough cap space to sign two maximum free agents in 2019, such as Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler (who’ve been rumored to have interest in teaming up on an Eastern Conference team, per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times), they have decisions to make this year. They need to decide who they want to keep long-term as 2018-19 plays out and as more ancillary pieces get a chance to show how much they’ve developed.
Next Up: Goal #1
