2018-19 Finish: 69-13

Season Highlight: The Nets turned the corner on the rebuild and are officially rebuilt.  They were one of the most feared teams last year, and raced into the playoffs as the #2 seed, with the 2^nd best record in the NLL.

 Season Lowlight: Any time that you don’t cut down the nets as a top level team, it’s a disappointment.  The Nets just could not get past LBJ and company when it mattered most.

Best Trade:    The Atlanta Hawks send Jimmy Butler and Domantas Sabonis to the Brooklyn Nets. The Brooklyn Nets send Steven Adams to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Brooklyn Nets send a 1st-Rounder (GS) to the Atlanta Hawks.

This trade was a major pull for the Nets, but then news came that Butler became a Sign and Trade.  Yet, the Nets will get good value for him and also pulled Sabonis, a great young big man, for Adams, who is mostly 1 dimensional.

Worst Trade: The Brooklyn Nets send Jerami Grant to the LA Lakers. The LA Lakers send Jerryd Bayless to the Brooklyn Nets.

Brooklyn made a lot of great moves, but this was just blah compared to the rest.  Bayless didn’t perform great, but Grant wasn’t a big contributor either.

Other Notable Trades:         The Brooklyn Nets send Eric Bledsoe to the New York Knicks. The New York Knicks send Grayson Allen to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Portland Trail Blazers send Terry Rozier to the Brooklyn Nets.The Brooklyn Nets send a 1st-Rounder (Det) to the Portland Trail Blazers. The New York Knicks send a 1st-Rounder (NY) and 2nd-Rounder (Min) to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Portland Trail Blazers send a 2nd-Rounder (Orl) and 2nd-Rounder (Pho) to the Brooklyn Nets.

Moved on from Bledsoe, who just didn’t gel with the rest of the team.  Grabbed Rozier and picks to replace him.

The Brooklyn Nets send DeAndre Jordan and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to the Dallas Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks send Steven Adams and Justise Winslow to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Brooklyn Nets send a 2nd-Rounder (Bos) to the Dallas Mavericks.

Cap cutting deal, but Adams eventually becomes Bulter and Sabonis.

            The Minnesota Timberwolves send DeMarcus Cousins to the Brooklyn Nets.The Brooklyn Nets send a 1st-Rounder (NO) and 2nd-Rounder (Bkn) to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Minnesota Timberwolves send a 1st-Rounder (Bkn) to the Brooklyn Nets.The Brooklyn Nets use their trade exception over $ 5,337,000.

One of the best deals the Nets made last year.

The Atlanta Hawks send Pat Connaughton, Markelle Fultz and DJ Wilson to the Utah Jazz. The Brooklyn Nets send Terry Rozier to the Atlanta Hawks. The Utah Jazz send Joe Harris and Damian Jones to the Atlanta Hawks. The Utah Jazz send a 1st-Rounder (Dal) to the Brooklyn Nets.

More cap cutting for picks.

The Brooklyn Nets send Justise Winslow to the Utah Jazz.
The Brooklyn Nets send a 1st-Rounder (Dal) to the Utah Jazz. The Utah Jazz send a 1st-Rounder (GS) and 2nd-Rounder (Den) to the Brooklyn Nets.

Lots of value for Winslow.

Free Agency:

JaKarr Sampson – deep bench player that won’t turn the needle.

Jimmy Butler – is SNT, so will be moved after FA.

DeMarcus Cousins – unsure if he will be retained, considering he will be out most the year with another injury.

Khris Middleton – integral part of the Nets, will be retained.

Joakim Noah – was solid backup.  Will he be worth bringing back?

Deyonta Davis – QO available.. Likely returns.

Star:  DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan made huge leaps in his game and not only was the team’s leading scorer, but he also finally added a 3 point shot.  He made some great clutch shots during the year.

Goat: Shabazz Napier

Brooklyn expected more from Napier, but he could not fill the backup PG role well. 

Draft Grades (from Insider): B+

Interesting young players all picked in the mid 2^nd round.  Jordan Poole, Cody Martin, and Ignas Brazdeikis.  Poole will likely be a contributor, but the other 2 are calculated risks.

The Future- potential NLL Champs

Brooklyn continues to dominate, and they made some big moves at the end of last year.  They also already have some trades in the making that will help improve their overall team depth.  Rumor is that Brooklyn and Phoenix already have a deal in place for Jimmy Butler, that will give the Nets some solid scorers and the reserves they need to put together another deep playoff run.  Can you say title or bust?