Will the Brooklyn Nets’ tanking GAMBLE pay off? How can they re-enter the PLAYOFF conversation?

Will the Brooklyn Nets’ tanking GAMBLE pay off? How can they re-enter the PLAYOFF conversation?

Coming up, what will the Nets rebuild strategy look like after this season? Which rookies are best positioned for success? What will the roster look like come opening night? I’ll answer all those fan questions and more after this. [Music] You are Locked on Nets, your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast, part of the Locked On Network. Your team every day. Welcome in to the Lockdown Nets podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. It’s your team, the Brooklyn Nets, every single day. I’m Eric Slater, Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for clutchpoints.com. Thank you for making me your first listen of the day. This show is 100% free on all those great platforms. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the FanDuel app today. And on today’s show, it’s Fan Take Friday. I took questions and takes from all of you on a wide range of subjects, including rebuild strategy, expectations for this season, and more. So, getting right into it, taking these in the order that they came in. First question, who from next year’s top three draft prospects would best complement Jayorgman? I just did an episode talking about the 2026 draft class with Tyler Metaf of No Ceilings. Go check that out if you have not, but we touched on in in depth all three of the top prospects, Darren Peterson, AJ Deansa, Cam Boozer, and I honestly think that all of them would be good fits next to a guy like Jaor Dyman. They all have, you know, differing skill sets, but all I think somewhat malleable. I think the best fit alongside Jaor would probably be Darren Peterson because he is you you look at Jaor what are Jagor’s strengths what are Jagor’s weaknesses right now his strengths are obviously his passing or his top strength that is what he can do the best he was regarded as the best passers in this year’s draft class and one of his main weaknesses outside of the shooting which has started to look better was the lack of on ball creation the lack of ability to create separation and be really an offensive engine and a self-creator with the ball in his hands you put a guy like Darren Peterson next to him who is just a walking bucket and can create his shot in so many different ways. Has a developing outside shot as well. I just think that you put a guy like him that’s a back court. You’d have a guy like Jory who’s 6’9, can handle somewhat, can pass the ball at a really high level, hopefully can defend and can shoot on and off the ball. And then you bring in Darren Peterson who has great size as well, 6’5 um you know at shooting guard. That’s a really sizable back court with a lot of passing and a lot of shot creation. And I think that all of these guys would be good compliments next to Jagor, but Darren Peterson, he’s just the best prospect of the group right now, and he’s the one who I think could balance out Jagor’s deficiencies really well in the back court. So that’s the player that I would point to right now. Next question. Do you think it was worth it to trade Male Bridges at this point? I just don’t see it yet. Too much value for too much value lost for question marks. I think it was absolutely worth it to trade Male Bridges. I mean, you look what they got. you know, five first round picks plus a swap. Obviously, we’re gonna have to see down the line. It looks like at least the initial returns on that are going to be late picks, but we don’t know, you know, down the line from that. And I just don’t think you were getting anything close to that kind of value for Male Bridges anywhere else. And since Male’s gone to the Knicks, I mean, it’s not like he’s been like a great standout performer for the Knicks. Like, he’s had his moments, but the three-point shooting has, you know, kind of regressed. the defensive, you know, capabilities I don’t think are back to the level where people hoped they would be with him sliding more to a complimentary role as opposed to being, you know, asked to do a lot because that was the knock, you know, or that was the excuse when he was with the Nets was he’s doing all this on the ball. It’s going to be a lot more difficult for him to play at the defensive level that he did with the Suns because he’s just being asked to do so much more offensively. You went to the Knicks. He’s playing alongside Brunson, alongside Carl Anthony Towns, these other guys who are the primary shot creators. In Bridges, his defense is like okay. I don’t think it’s great. It’s nowhere near the level it was when he was playing with Phoenix. The three-point shooting has regressed. And he’s in the playoffs. He was like pretty scared to go to the rim. It seemed like like he didn’t want to attack the rim. It was all fadeaway mid-range jumpers. The three-point volume was down. He didn’t shoot well. So, I think it was definitely worth it to make that Bridges trade. I would do that trade 10 times over. But I think the better question is, was the trade with Houston worth it? Which was made obviously in conjunction with the Bridges trade? And the Nets sent what is basically four first round picks to Houston to get back their first round pick in 2025 and 2026. And last year they traded that Suns pick which was 10th and their pick was only eighth. So we haven’t seen great returns from that Houston trade. And I’ve, you know, used that as a reason for why I think the Nets are going to tank a lot harder this coming season because they really, in my opinion, need to make that Houston trade worth it and really justify it. And the only way to do that is try to spike a top pick in this draft and kind of rectify what was somewhat of a, you know, a tanking misstep last season. So, I think the questions about what trade was worth it is much more, you know, pertinent for the Houston deal as opposed to the male Bridges deal, which I just think the Nets got pretty unbelievable value for a player who’s a good player, but is nowhere near like a star or an all-star level player. Next question. Let’s say we manage to get let’s say we manage to tank and get one of Camboozer, AJ Deansa as our four or as our power forward, I’m assuming you mean. What are your first three moves to fill out the roster and try to compete in 20 2027 given we owe the swap to Houston? Any trade candidates you want to buy low on to supplement the roster? If they get if the Nets get one of these guys, you know, say it’s Boozer or AJ as the four, you know, I think Demand does more of a wing. Boozer is more of a four, but let’s say they they got those two guys. The Nets, as you said, are probably going to try to take a step towards being competitive next year because they owe that swap to the Houston Rockets. Could that, you know, look like getting a star in a trade? Possibly. Like, you’re asking for trade candidates. It’s kind of tough for me to say right now because we just don’t know who’s available. Like, I’ve gotten questions on these prior pods about potential star trades and we just don’t know. Like, it’s it’s tough to forecast this stuff that much forward. Are there guys who could potentially be available? Like, Aion Williamson has been brought up. Lori Markin’s been brought up. Obviously, there’s the uncertainties surrounding Giannis, but anything I say at this point is really just speculation at at this point. So, what are the first three moves that I would make to try to make the Nets more competitive? If you got one of those guys, I would say the first thing is you need to add a veteran ball handler. You need to add somebody who can complement, you know, Yor and the Nets, you know, rookie point guards, you need some experience in the back court. Not just for the on the- value it’ll add, which I think would be, you know, very important, but also to help these guys, you know, to show them the ropes, to kind of, you know, show them what it takes to be a ball handler and a floor general at this level. So, that’s one. That’s actually not one, that’s probably two. Number one is you need to get a high level shot creator if you’re trying to be better. This team is so devout of shot creation. Cam Thomas is obviously that guy. I don’t think he’s going to be on the Nets roster in 2026 27. We’ll see what happens with a guy like Michael Porter Jr., but I truly believe that he’s more um, you know, comfortable and more, you know, suited to be a spot-up complimentary player as he was in Denver. Maybe he can do a little bit more on the ball, but I’m not you know, I’m not really too bullish that he’s going to be able to do it at like an elite level. So, you need a shot cer a shot creator. Obviously, like Boozer and AJ, you hope more so AJ is more of a shot creator at this point, but there’s still questions about both of their offensive games. You know, can they be offensive engines as opposed to a guy like Darren Peterson, who I think is much more suited to do that at this point. And all of these guys are going to be rookies. So, you’re going to need shot creation outside of that. And that’s going to be probably the biggest thing is getting somebody who’s an competent offensive player who can create separation, create advantages, get downhill, can shoot from the outside. Those guys are tough to find, but the Nets are going to probably try need to find one if they’re going to be, you know, an improved team in 2026 27. Outside that outside of that, you know, see what you can do with the veterans on the roster. Evaluate are they fits versus should you be trying to trade them potentially to teams that are closer to contention to get back younger pieces. There’s going to be a lot of shuffling of the decks, but I would say just the biggest weakness on the Nets roster right now is the lack of veteran ball handling, the lack of highlevel shot creation. So, those are the two things that they’re going to need to, you know, address in 2027. The next question is similar. How do you think the 2027 season will look knowing that we don’t have our first round pick? I fully expect given the fact that the Nets owe the pick to Houston and also I just don’t think they’re an organization, you know, coming off the heels of the Big Three era and how that just failed and imploded. I don’t think they want to tank three seasons in a row. Like they didn’t want to do that anyway. Like they didn’t want to go into a tank at all. Two seasons is tough enough. This next season in 2027, I think you’re going to see them try to take a step back towards being relevant. Does that mean they’re going to be a contender? No. Does it mean they’re even going to be a playoff team? Probably not. But it depends on what’s available and what movies are made. So, what do I think it’s going to look like? I think it’s going to look like them trying to position whoever, you know, whoever they get in this coming draft as well as the 2025 draft class. Position those guys for success while also trying to take a step forward to compete. Last question before a break. Which player do you think will make the biggest change to their perception this season? Whether it’s taking on a bigger role or answering answering questions about their ability? Um, that’s an interesting question. I think there’s a lot of candidates. I think, you know, for me, I hope Cam Thomas, like it would be nice to see Cam Thomas try to change the perception of him around the league because obviously there’s the most, you know, kind of aggressive and out there narrative and perception about what Cam Thomas is. And Zack Low spoke about that earlier this off seasonason, which drew the, you know, fbomb rant from Cam on Twitter. But empty calories, ball hog is what Zach said. Do I think everybody across the league thinks that way about Cam? No. But that’s definitely a a perception of him. That’s definitely like a lot of people feel that way and you know for Cam to change that perception of him I’ve said it like he’s going to have to re-evaluate like he wants to get paid this coming season and you know this coming off season and it’s tough because he’s in that this was the danger of taking the Qo he’s in a situation where he’s on a team that doesn’t have too much incentive to feature him and probably isn’t going to pay him or be that team where it works out. So, if you’re trying to get paid and do all these things and you’re on a team that doesn’t have a ton of incentive, it’s to play you and feature you, it’s kind of a, you know, a catch 22. Like, it’s a tough situation. But, you know, if Cam comes out and he does the same things that he’s done the last couple years and he averages 20 plus points, but his assist numbers are low and he’s one of the worst defenders in the league, I don’t think that he’s going to get the kind of payday that he’s hoping for. I think people know that Cam can score the ball. They know that at this point, I think that he can score somewhat efficiently. Maybe that efficiency could improve even further, but last season he was above league league average efficiency while attempting like 18 shots per game. Now it was only 25 games he played in. But the scoring, people know he can score. People don’t know whether he can be a willing passer all the time and whether he can play defense. And I think the passing will be the easier one to, you know, change out of that. I think that he’s shown that he can make reads. I think there just needs to be a little bit of a tweak in mindset. He can still be shot first. he can still want to get his. That’s what makes him great, you know, like that’s what his strength is, but a slight tweak, just a little bit more of being a more willing passer, taking advantage of some openings earlier. And then defensively, he’s got to buckle down and he’s got to try at least. He has limitations because of his size and all that, but he needs to try to be more engaged and at least look interested on the defensive end of the floor. He a lot of times he’s just too uninterested and it just lends itself to, you know, advantages created for the other team and breakdowns in what the Nets are trying to do defensively. So if Cam can improve as a passer a little bit, if he can look and try a lot harder consist more consistently on defense, I think that could go a long way towards changing the perception of who he is and getting paid as opposed to him just coming out and trying to score all these points and not re-evaluating the way he plays at all. So that’s what I would say about that. We got a lot more questions about Net’s roster management, about the new acquisitions, about how they’ll go about the season. So, I have all that and more. We’re going to continue the show after a quick break. But before that, want to tell you about our friends over at Open Phone. 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Open phone. No missed calls, no missed customers. Coming back from the break on today’s Lockdown Nets episode, this fan take Friday. Rolling on through all the rest of your takes and questions. Next one. How does the Kobe Buffkin trade affect the other three guards drafted long term if Kobe ends up being better than expected? Do you think Kobe will get enough playing time to make a jump in his game similar to what Zier Williams did as a rotation player last season? I ultimately don’t think that the Kobe Buffkin trade is going to have too much of an impact on these three guys the Nets drafted, the three guards, Jay Gordolan, Shore, Ben Sarof, because the Nets spent the better part of a year, you know, scouting these guys. They handpicked these guys out of a draft class where they had a lot of other options at those spots like these are our guys and sure they were taking dart throws and I do think that they obviously see something in Buffkin and they like him otherwise they wouldn’t have traded for him but it was really like a no downside move like it helped them reach the salary floor. They didn’t have to give up any draft picks. He is a former you know guy who was regarded by a lot as a former lottery talent in that 2023 draft. So, if he comes in and he plays well, I think that could get him a contract extension probably at a, you know, pretty low number in the grand scheme of things. And it could give the Nets a little bit of an extended runway to see what they have with him. Is he going to be like a starting piece in the NBA? I think that’s highly unlikely. Could he be a rotation piece? Like, that’s the question. And if he plays well, and he can be, like maybe you can make an argument that that makes a guy like one of the Nets, if one of the Nets, uh, three ball handlers, rookie guys, doesn’t work out, that can make them more expendable. like whoever doesn’t play well, but I don’t think like ultimately he’s going to have too much of an impact on them unless he just like comes out on fire and plays unbelievably, which doesn’t seem like it’s the most likely outcome. The second part of that question, do I think he’ll get enough playing time to make a jump in his game similar to Zire? I don’t think he’ll get as much playing time as Zire did last year, but I definitely think like he’ll get an opportunity. The Nets traded for him. They saw something in him. They’re going to want to evaluate him because, you know, he has a team option that the Nets have to decide on by October 31st. I think they’ll decline that because they’re probably not going to be able to see anything really from him at that point because it’s so early, but they could extend him just as they did Zier. So, I do think he’ll get a chance. The Nets are going to have to make a decision on him after the season and they’re going to want to see. So, they’re also in a tanking year, so you want to get a look at as many guys as possible. So, I do think he’ll get a chance. Next question. any other possible moves like a Jet Howard trade possible and does it make sense for Brooklyn? Um like I do think there are trade possibilities that the Nets are going to have to entertain because right now they’re they have 15 guaranteed standard contracts if you know just accounting for those 15 which is the number that you’re allowed to carry during the regular season. They are about $4.5 million below the salary floor. So, they still have work to do to get up to the salary floor and they’re probably going to have to make another trade if I had to guess. Um, I pointed to the Philadelphia 76ers, you know, or a team that’s been rumored to be trying to get off guys like Andre Drummond and Kelly Uber in order to open up space to sign Quinton Grimes. I definitely think that’s a possibility. I think there’s Celtics possibilities. That’s probably more down the line. I’ve talked on prior pods about Anthony Simons. I’ll probably revisit that during the season. the Jet Howard thing. Like I think Mike Scott, friend of the pod, said something about Jet Howard being a trade possibility for the Nets. And that makes sense on the surface. Like he’s a young guy. He hasn’t caught on with Orlando. His dad is obviously one of the Nets top assistants right now. So that makes sense. Like should it matter that his dad is an assistant? No. Like you shouldn’t go after him if you don’t like him just because of that. But you do have some more familiarity with him. And if you think that he could be something like sure. So, you know, is that something that I’m expecting? No. Do I think that there’s it could make sense somewhat? Yeah. But I would expect probably, you know, other salary dumps to be on the Nets radar leading up to the regular season. Next question. I’d love to see your 15-man roster bet or at least starting five and bench versus guys who will be in the G-League. Um, right now, I would say that my 15-man roster bet is just the guys that are on the standard guaranteed contracts. You look at that, they have the 15 guys. It’s just it’s really pushed a lot of these backend guys like out of the roster because the Nets made five first round picks, biggest rookie, you know, first round pick draft class ever. And then they brought in um Terrence man, Haywood Highmith, now Kobe Buffkin in via salary dumps without sending any other players back in those deals. So that’s eight players entering the mix who weren’t on the team last year. And naturally, that’s going to push a lot of guys out of the equation. And right now that is we had just saw Keon Johnson get get waved and now you have Jaylen Wilson, Tyrese Martin, you have Drew Timmy. You have these guys who you know are probably on the outside looking in. So that’s my 15man roster bet right now. Starting five in bench versus GLeague. Like Jordy Fernandez said he’s going to go 10 deep this year. I think that he’s going to probably rotate a lot of guys. Like there’s going to be injuries and in the back end of the rotation they’re probably just going to rotate on through. There’s going to be guys that they want to get looks at. So the starting five I’ve said Jayor Dilman, Cam Thomas, Terrence man, Michael Porter Jr. and Nick Claxton. I think the Terrence man spot is the most questionable. Probably will be between him and Zire Williams. Maybe Noah Clowny could enter the mix at the four and you slide MPJ up to the three. But right now I would say I think my what I said um Jory, Cam Thomas, Terrence man, MPJ, Nick Claxton. And I just say that because the way the Nets have operated in the past when they’ve gotten these veteran guys is they’ve typically started the veteran guys and given them, you know, that luxury. So Terrence man, a guy I could think that I could see in the starting lineup. He’s an experienced guy. The Nets are obviously lacking experience. I think you want to insulate a guy like Jory with as many veterans as possible on the floor to make him more comfortable. So that’s what I would say. And then the bench, you know, guys who are going to be locks for the bench like if the starting five I said is how it rolls out. Zyra Williams will be a lock. Dron sharp will be a lock. Noah Clowny will be a lock. Beyond that, probably Nolan Shore as well. And then after those nine, I think you get into the conversation of who’s in the G-League. Who’s up here? Like I think Danny Wolf, Drake Pal, Ben Saraf will all get minutes in the NBA rotation this year. I think they’ll all probably also spend time in the G-League. Dariq Whitehead, I think, could spend some time in the G-League. You’d probably like to see him be up with the NBA team more. So, I think that’s kind of how I’m seeing it. There’s going to be guys who back, you know, bounce back and forth between Long Island and Brooklyn, but ultimately I think the rotation is just going to be about giving a lot of guys opportunities. Next question. Brooklyn’s chances of trading for Lorie Markin in next summer. When will be we will be trying to win? I mean, like he’s definitely a guy I could see being available. Are there any reports like credibly that the Jazz are shopping him or anything? No. So, it’s just speculation right now. I could see the Jazz trying to move on from him. He’s making a lot of money. We’ll see how he plays this year. I mean, last year wasn’t great, but he was in out of the lineup. They were tanking, you know, all that. So, I like Lori Markin as a player a lot. Do I like him at the cap hit and the number that the Jazz have him on this extension? I’m not sure. He’d definitely be a candidate, but I think I’m not sure that, you know, with his age if he’s worth investing, you know, the amount of money that he’s going to be making on this contract extension. I think maybe there’s some other ways that the Nets would look to go about it. Last question before a break. You do a good job discussing so many angles of the team. It’s hard to come up with unique takes. I do disagree with your assessment of Jaylen Wilson. He seems like a zero on offense and a step above a cone on defense. I’m curious why his game excites you more than other bench guys. I look at guys like Keon who has higher average athleticism or Dariq with his scoring upside and fail to see how Jay will excites people more than those guys. Um I don’t think I’ve ever said that like Jaylen Wilson it cites me a ton. Maybe you’re referring to the episode that I did yesterday um when I talked about Keon being waved and the guys after that of the non-G guaranteed guys who have the best chance to stick in the league long term. I said Jaylen probably just because of the youth the if you I said you know I I added a caveat in it. I said if you believe in the shooting am I a huge believer in the shooting? Not necessarily. But like, am I extremely high on like Drew Timmy or Tyrese Martin or um Keon Johnson either? No. Like I think Keon has the most upside of that group, but I think the Nets let him go because they have guys at his position like Terrence Man, Haywood Highmith. Now they brought in Kobe Buffkin. They obviously have other guys in the back court already. And Keon like he’s never been a good shooter. He’s not a good finisher. He has like more athleticism, but is he ever gonna be a guy who can like actually be an offensive upside off offensive positive in a rotation? Probably not because of his role. Like he’s smaller. He’s not a spot-up shooter. Like Jaylen at least has the size. He’s 68. There’s obviously a little bit of a lack of athleticism at some points, but if he can shoot well, like I think he can defend. I don’t think he’s a cone. I think he’s okay on that end. He rebounds. He plays hard. And if he can shoot from three, I think that role and that archetype makes the most sense, you know, for team what teams are looking for as opposed to like I love Drew Timmy, but if Drew Timmy can’t shoot, which he hasn’t been able to up to this point in his career, he’s a center who can’t protect the rim, can’t shoot, and it’s just like this postcoring guy, which I don’t think that that’s going to be a role that really garers, you know, him getting minutes in an NBA rotation. So, if Drew Timmy can shoot and his shooting becomes legit, I think that he’s the top guy out of these non-G guaranteed guys. I think Tyrese Martin, you know, he looked better than Jaylen last year, but he’s also older. He’s going to be 27 this coming season. So, the upside case really isn’t there for him. So, you know, I like Jay Will. It think I think it really leans heavily on his, you know, relies heavily on him being a good three-point shooter. So, we’ll see, you know, how he shakes out. But, we got a few more questions about rotation, about, you know, what the Nets coach is going to be trying to do, about the Nets front court, all that. So, I’ll have all that when I close out Locked on Nets after a quick break. But before that, want to tell you about our friends over at FanDuel. The NFL season is here and FanDuel is making sure you’re ready for kickoff with a can’t miss offer. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Guys, FanDuel fits however you like to bet. Player props, building a same game parlay, or even jumping in live as the action unfolds. It makes every game more exciting. Whether you’re watching your team or just keeping an eye on your fantasy lineup, it’s quick, easy, and the best way to add a little more energy to Sundays. So, are you ready to play? Download the FanDuel app now by visiting fanduel.com to get started. That’s fuel.com to place your first $5 bet. Coming back from the break, closing out today’s Locked on Nets episode on this Fan Take Friday. Rolling on through the questions and takes. What is your biggest question you hope to answer in training camp? I don’t think we always answer a ton in training camp because they’re, you know, you just need to see how these guys play in games and I think that’s that people use the first few months of the season, especially in that team that’s rebuilding and isn’t going to be in the playoff conversation. But the rotation, like where are guys going to be playing to start the year? Are they going to be up with the team and have a chance to play in Brooklyn? Are they going to be in the G- League? I said I think guys like Danny Wolf, Ben Saraf will probably start the year playing sometime in the G-League. It’ll probably flip as we get on into the season, but I’d say the rotations are probably the biggest thing. Next question. What is the situation with Nick Claxon? Is he still a long-term piece with the Nets, or is he a trade piece? Um, I lean more towards the latter of him not being a long-term piece and him being a guy that the Nets will probably try to get value, you know, for via the trade market. And that’s because, you know, he’s young enough to be a part of the next next iteration. He’s going to be 27 this coming season, so he could be. But I also think if you’re just looking at the guys who don’t necessarily like aren’t a clean fit to the timeline and could fetch the Net something on the trade market, I think Nick Claxton is at the top of that list. And you look at the way the Nets have operated in the past. They have a guy behind him in Dron Sharp who do I think Dron’s the level of player that Nick is? No. Do I think that it’s like a monumental gap? No. Um, so they have a player in Dron who’s a few years younger, is much cheaper right now. I could see them trying to turn to him and see what he has in a potential starting role. They obviously have Danny Wolf behind him and Nick, you know, he’s going to be on a, you know, contract that I don’t know if you can call it a bargain. It’s definitely not a bargain, but it’s going to be, you know, better in the second, you know, the back half of the deal in the last two years because it’s a descending deal. He’s going to be making between 11 and 13% of the salary cap. So, am I sure he’s going to get traded this season? I definitely think it’s possible. Maybe a starting center on a team gets injured. That would make it much more likely. But, you know, I think maybe next season when his contract is a little bit more descending, it might be easier to find a deal for him. But regardless, I think that the Nets could find centers. They’ve been able to do it throughout Shawn Marx’s tenure late in the draft, finding guys like Jared Allen, like Nick Claxton, like Dron Sharp. So, if you can find those guys through the draft, if you can have those guys on rookie contracts where they’re not making that much money, you know, for four or five years, as opposed to having a guy like Nick who’s making over $20 million and necess doesn’t necessarily fit your timeline, I think that it all just it all speaks more to a trade being the more likely, you know, scenario than him being a long-term fit with the Knicks. Next question. How likely do you think it will be that EJ Liddell and Tyson ETN keep their two-way spots? Will the last two will the last two-way spot be a competition between Ricky Council and Fambo Zang in camp? Um, I think it’s likely that EJ Liddell and Tyson ETM probably keep the two-way spots just into the start of the regular season. Could one of them get cut if they don’t play well in training camp? Possibly. But I think the Nets will, you know, at least want to give them a chance for a little bit. Beyond that, I could see, you know, them shuffling the deck with the two-ways. It’s what they did last year. They cut guys midway through the year. Um, you know, do I think Ricky Council and Fambo Zang are two-way candidates? Definitely. I definitely think both of them are. Ricky reportedly has a partially guaranteed contract and we just we just saw the Nets sign two guys in um David Muoka and DeAndre Davis who had partial guarantees also. And then those guys were promptly waved in order, you know, their partial guarantees which were like 85,000 count a little bit towards helping the Nets get up to the salary floor. Also, they can retain their G-League rights and they remain eligible to sign a two-way contract. So, maybe Ricky’s Ricky Council’s partial guarantee could be a similar situation. Fambo Zang, we don’t know what his contract’s going to be yet, but I definitely think that both of those guys could be candidates for a final two-way spot. As could Grant Nelson, who, you know, his agency reported earlier in the offseason that he signed an Exhibit 10 contract, and it seems like that’s going to be the case. He’s going to be with the Nets on an Exhibit 10, and he’s going to be competing for a two-way at training camps, you know. So, we’ll see. Last thing, last question. Do you think that Dron Sharp is going to get a fair chance and an opportunity to show that he deserves a bigger contract? Absolutely. You know, the Nets just they like Dron. I think he showed huge improvements last year defensively and continue to dominate as a rebounder. I think offensively he has some intriguing upside as kind of like a passing big man. I think he needs to improve finishing around the rim hopefully. But he’s definitely going to play. I think he’ll play a lot of minutes this year if he stays healthy. like I think he’ll be, you know, around, you know, 20 minutes a game, something in those in that range. And he’ll get an opportunity for sure to prove, you know, that he should get a long-term contract the way that Nick Claxton did. When Nick Claxton ended his rookie season, he got that two-year bridge deal. He played extremely well and then he signed a near hundred million contract. So, I think Don is hoping to follow a similar path. But that does it all the questions and takes we had for this fan take Friday. Thank you to everyone who submitted and continues to participate. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on these and I really enjoy doing them. So, we’ll keep them rolling on throughout the season. But if you guys do not already, make sure to subscribe to Lockdown Nets on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast, whether Apple podcast or Spotify. If you enjoy the content, smash that like button, leave a comment. Anything you can do to engage is much appreciated. Really helps with the algorithm. But we got training camp opening next week. We’re going to have more roster moves ahead of that. So, I’ll have coverage of all that and more when I’m back on Monday talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball.

Erik Slater answers questions from Brooklyn Nets fans on the team’s rebuild strategy, roster management, goals next season, and more.

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