MILWAUKEE — All Nets general manager Sean Marks craves is flexibility, the ability to pivot when needed and pounce when needed.
Already with the most draft capital in the NBA, and potentially even more if they trade Cam Johnson, Brooklyn is in a position to make a major change and begin a rebuild.
Whether it's at the trade deadline for Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox or another star who becomes available.
“I've got to be ready and put myself in position to have that opportunity,” Marks told the Post Thursday before the Nets beat the Bucks 113-110. “We're going to give ourselves the best chance to make that happen. Now, who and when, that's up in the air. But when we take over, [in 2016]it took three or four seasons for us to be able to say, “Hey, we suddenly have a team that can compete.'' It's a playoff team. ”
“And next year, you're going to attract a different level of player…or you're going to attract multiple players. So you know we've done it. We've done it before. This. With the new CBA we were able to do that and hopefully reach that end goal, but we didn't get close. So the goal now is to do it again and build on it. , to be able to hit again.”
Many Nets fans still feel the scars of the collapse of the Big Three.
But Brooklyn embarked on a rebuild.
And by trading not only Mikal Bridges but also Dennis Schroder and now Dorian Finney-Smith over the summer, the Nets have a league-high 31 picks, including an NBA-best 15 first-round picks. obtained the right.
They will acquire four players in June's unusual draft.
It's a far cry from 2016, when Marks took office without a pick and had to take a significant pay cut.
“When we started here eight years ago, we were handcuffed. There were only two or three ways to build…actually one, but now there are many more. There's a way to do that,” Marks told the Post. “We have these draft assets and we can select them, trade them, move them. We've got the room. And in the end, we have two There's an attractive market and there's Joe. [Tsai] As an owner, I have proven that I am willing to give it my all at the right time and not be afraid to do what I say.
“That speaks volumes in this CBA, where there are so many other places where you're like, 'Oh my God, it's a penalty!' How can I get out of this situation? 'But the end goal here is to be able to at some point say, 'Hey, we're competing for a championship.' That's what we want every team to be able to build towards. And hopefully, with our flexibility, we'll have the opportunity to make that happen one day. Then I couldn't answer. ”
The cap space in this room is up to $70 million.
It could be used not only to sign free agents but also to trade.
Fox, who was coached in Sacramento by Jordi Fernandez, reportedly wants to leave.
However, The Athletic also reported that Johnson is a “priority” for the Kings.
Finney-Smith not only acquired D'Angelo Russell and Max Lewis (who underwent an MRI in New York on Thursday), but also three second-round picks.
Johnson would probably sell more.
Of course, moving all of these veterans will make Fernandez's job a little harder today, but it will be a lot easier tomorrow when the lottery odds are better.
“Those in the know and the Nets family understand that we're building this and we're building this with the expectation of sustainable success,” Marks said. he told the Post. “That's what we want. We want to get there. We need to make some decisions systematically. And they win the next game. It doesn't necessarily equate to what you do best or what you show the most talent for.
“I mean, we just traded some really good players and now we've got Dillow and Max in their place, so that's great. But we're moving some of our talent here. So continuity is lost. Teams that are good, or teams that can overachieve, can stay together for a while and find continuity. I'll be honest with you guys on that. It doesn't help much.”
But he wants to help them in the long run.
