In a recent report from Brian Lewis of the New York Post, there was allegedly interest from Miami Heat star forward Jimmy Butler in potentially joining the Nets in 2025 free agency. Upon hearing this report, the reaction from the fanbase was mixed. Some fans were excited, salivating at the idea of cutting the rebuild short and competing with the electrifying Jimmy Butler. However, other fans were dismayed at the idea, believing Butler, who will be 36 by the time he signs with the Nets, does not match the timeline of the roster.
The Nets are projected to have $80M-$90M in cap space in 2025. The Nets could very easily offer Butler the max contract he seeks; however, this would not make sense for the team. While Butler is a phenomenal player, achieving two Finals appearances in the last four years, in his old age, Butler has struggled to stay healthy. And while Butler is a superstar in the postseason, he’s a borderline All-Star throughout the regular season, averaging 21/5/5 on 63% TS in 2023-24.
Another thing to consider is why Butler would want to come to the Nets? It was reported that he was interested in Brooklyn back in 2018 when the Nets were an up-and-coming team that was ready to compete. This current Nets team is very young and inexperienced; they are at least 2-3 years away before they are ready to compete, as next season is going to be a major developmental year for Cam Thomas, Noah Clowney, Jalen Wilson, and even rookie head coach Jordi Fernandez. It was reported that the Miami Heat are hesitant to give Butler a max contract given his age and injury history; it is more than likely that Butler is trying to create leverage in order to get a max contract. Butler and the Nets make no sense. The Nets are going to spend the next few seasons focusing on player development and utilizing their cap space to re-sign young players or absorb negative value contracts in exchange for draft compensation, similar to the strategy Nets GM Sean Marks used during his first rebuild.
While I understand some fans' desire to make this a quick rebuild, Marks cannot skip any steps. The Nets have three goals for the 2024-25 season. The first is to lose games in order to achieve a high lottery pick. The second is to develop the young core and see if any of these players can contribute to winning in the long term. And finally, and the most important goal of all, is to draft a franchise-altering player in the 2025 draft, whether it be Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, or someone else. Nailing this draft pick will be the most important task for Marks. While it is enticing to sign an All-Star caliber player like Butler, he would get in the way of the development of the players we draft in 2025 as well as guys currently on the roster who the Nets are interested in developing.
As long as the Nets make intelligent decisions over the next two seasons, this team can be ready to compete in 3-4 years, putting themselves in a great position like the Oklahoma City Thunder have recently with their rebuild. There is something important to remember: patience is key.
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