NBA: Nets ready to reload ahead of 2021-22 championship run

The Brooklyn Nets season came to an early end following a 115-111 overtime loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 last weekend despite Kevin Durant’s 48-point show. Unfortunately for the Nets, their championship odds changed drastically when both James Harden and Kyrie Irving went down with lower body injuries in the series. If there is a silver lining for Brooklyn and Sean Marks, the front office doesn’t have a ton to do this summer besides getting completely healthy and filling out a few roster spots in order to compete for a title next season.

Irving was hurt in Game 4 after twisting his ankle on a contested rebound, while Harden re-aggravated a strained hamstring in Game 1 before returning for the final three games of the series at less than 100%. Brooklyn’s big three only played a total of 43 seconds together against the Bucks. I don’t think there’s any doubt the Nets advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2003 if they’re at full strength. Brooklyn has the most talented roster in the NBA and were the favorites to win a championship prior to the playoffs for a reason so now they turn their attention to 2021-22.

“The beauty of our profession is you get up and keep going. Everybody on this team works extremely hard and they care about the game, so we’ll get ready for next year. You have to give credit to the Milwaukee Bucks, they're a great team who have a good chance to win a championship," Durant said following the Game 7 loss. “I’m always thinking about our team and how we can get better and what we can do individually. I can’t even speak about how much we miss Kyrie on the floor and James to start the series. Nothing but respect and love for those two guys. We missed them out there.”

Brooklyn will have a few decisions to make during the offseason, including pending free agents Blake Griffin, Jeff Green, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Bruce Brown (restricted). Dinwiddie had a $12.3 million player option for next season but declined it and will test the market. According to NBC Sports, the point guard prefers to play in Los Angeles but is also hoping to secure a multi-year deal worth nearly $20 million annually. It certainly seems likely Dinwiddie will be playing elsewhere next season so the Nets need to replace him and attempt to bring back at least two of the other free agents.

Goran Dragić is a player to keep an eye on if you're Brooklyn. The veteran guard would add a ton of experience, leadership, and scoring off the bench if Dinwiddie leaves. After being bought out by Detroit, Griffin put up 11.0 points and 4.9 rebounds during the regular season before playing 12 playoff games and shooting 53.2% from the field. Obviously Griffin isn’t the player he once was but there’s no doubt he had a positive impact on the team and it’s likely they want to bring him back on a short-term deal. Per Hoops Hype, Brown and Griffin are likely to get offered between $5-10 million annually.

Durant discussed what it was like playing alongside Brown and Griffin this season: “They got us off to a good start. I had so much fun playing with Blake and Bruce. They make the game so much easier for everyone. I have nothing but respect for those guys and it’s a joy and an honor to take the court with them everyday." Even if Brooklyn is able to re-sign a couple players, they still have some work to do with the roster. Steve Nash’s defense was inconsistent to say the least and free agents like Andre Iguodala, Bismack Biyombo, Derrick Jones Jr, and JaVale McGee could help on that end of the floor.

Another name that keeps coming up in rumors is Joe Harris, who scored 11.2 points on 39.8% in the postseason, both drastically down from his normal numbers. He shot an NBA-best 47.5% from 3-point range during the regular season but wasn’t able to have nearly the same success in the playoffs. There will be plenty of options if Marks wants to move on from Harris, including possibly a deal for Myles Turner. I don't necessarily think the Nets need to trade Harris but they do need to reload a roster and coaching staff that is heading into a championship-or-bust season.

Photo Credit: Nets Insider.