2016 Brooklyn Nets

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Brooklyn Nets (Last Year: 21-61)

2016-17 Projected Depth Chart:

C: Brook Lopez

PF: Thaddeus Young/Thomas Robinson/Willie Reed/Chris McCullough

SF: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

SG: Bojan Bogdanovic/Sean Kilpatrick/Markel Brown

PG: Jarrett Jack

NBA Free Agents:

PG-Jarrett Jack (TO)

SG-Markel Brown (TO)

PF-Willie Reed (TO)

SG-Wayne Ellington (PO)

PF-Thomas Robinson (PO)

C-Henry Sims (UFA)

PG-Shane Larkin (UFA)

PG-David Sloan (UFA)

SG-Sergey Karasev (UFA)

2015-16 Team Salary: Approximately $58.6 million

NBA Offseason Team Needs:

1. Guards: Once a position of strength with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, Brooklyn finds itself in desperate need of upgrading the backcourt. The Nets’ best guard is Jarrett Jack, and he is recovering from an ACL injury. That’s not a good sign heading into next season. With the salary cap taking a significant jump, Brooklyn will have some money to play with in free agency this summer and should be seeking guard depth.

2. Play-making Wing: The Nets are not going to be a playoff team if Bojan Bogdanovic and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are their starting wings. Bogdanovic is a skilled shooter and Hollis-Jefferson plays with terrific energy, but neither guy excels at creating his own shot. While Sean Kilpatrick was a pleasant mid-season signing, Brooklyn must add a scoring wing who ideally can step into the starting lineup.

3. Frontcourt Depth: Even if Thomas Robinson and/or Willie Reed return, the Nets need to find better backup big men for their second unit. Chris McCullough could help fill some of those minutes, but he is still developing physically and with his all-around skillset, so his contributions next season are uncertain.