I came across this article from Ian O’Connor, which is basically calling Billy King a mastermind for the roster he’s put together in Brooklyn. I will tear this apart in one sentence, Billy King traded for Joe Johnson instead of waiting for Dwight Howard. Yes, I understand that Chris Broussard and ESPN are trumpeting the idea that Brooklyn will still manage to get Howard with a deal of Marshon Brooks, Brook Lopez, and three number one picks but I cannot imagine on what planet the Magic would accept this for the best center in the NBA.
The thing I keep hearing is that the Nets will simply sign Howard as a free agent next year but the only possibly way the Nets could afford to sign Howard is through a contract extension if they traded for him. Any other scenario would put them way over the cap because of a slew of savvy signings from “the genius” Billy King including Gerald Wallace for 40 million, Mirza Teletovic for 15 million, and the trade for Joe Johnson and his near 90 million dollar contract. Once you go over the cap in the NBA you basically only have your mid-level exception to sign players and I don’t see Dwight Howard signing for 5 million dollars.
So essentially the ship has sailed for getting Dwight Howard in Brooklyn because Billy King really wanted Joe Johnson. Let me remind you that Joe Johnson was a player NOBODY was trading for because he has the worst contract in the NBA. He’s barely an All-Star caliber player, just turned 31, is owed almost 30 million dollars a year, and as Brooklyn fans will find out, he hates playing basketball for a living. The idea anyone would actually trade for him is beyond absurd to me, especially when you lost all your flexibility to get one of the best players in the league. The worst part about this deal is there was absolutely no hurry to make this happen. Did Billy King honestly think that Joe Johnson was going to make Deron Williams sign?
The Nets now have a roster of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Marshon Brooks, Brook Lopez, Mirza Teletovic, Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace. That’s obviously a better team than last year but without any roster flexibility for the next three years because of Joe Johnson’s ridiculous contract. While Ian O’Connor is trumpeting that King has it all together, it’s very obvious that without Dwight Howard, the Nets will not be a contender.
Not only does this team not stand a chance of competing with the Heat, Celtics, and Bulls but also I don’t think it makes them the best team in New York either. Say what you will about Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony but they both had the worst seasons of the respective careers last year and were better than Joe Johnson. It’s pretty much a given that both those guys will play better next year despite all the media negativity surrounding them.
So let’s congratulate Billy King for turning the Brooklyn Nets into a 6-8 seed with a huge payroll. Seriously, the guy is a freaking genius for trading for a guy nobody else in the league remotely wanted instead of waiting for one of the best players in the NBA. If the Nets somehow land Dwight Howard I’ll be eating these words but the league should just retract the Orlando Magic franchise if they trade for two non-all-star players and 3 low first round draft picks.
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