With Nets' eyes fixed on future, team might look to trade more key players

The Nets were expected to be quiet when NBA free agency expands Sunday, allowing teams to negotiate with free agents not on their roster. Now that they’ve started a rebuild, that might change.

After trading Mikal Bridges to the Knicks, the Nets hit the reset button to look to the future. Whatever next steps they take are as much about the 2025 offseason as next season. But don’t expect many seismic changes in terms of adding free agents.

A league source confirmed to Newsday that the Nets are extending a qualifying offer to Trendon Watford, making him a restricted free agent. If Watford re-signs as expected, the Nets will have filled 13 of 15 roster spots, with Nic Claxton also agreeing to re-sign.

Watford earned praise for his versatility last season. At times, he could run the offense as a 6-9 point guard or play center in a small-ball lineup.

“I think I can see myself here again,” Watford said after the Nets’ final regular-season game. “I love the fans and I love New York. This was my first time really living in New York and with the weather and the travel and everything, but it was great, man.”

Claxton’s four-year, $100 million deal means the Nets took care of their top priority. The deal won’t become official until July 6 at the earliest, but it solidifies Claxton as a cornerstone for the franchise that drafted him five years ago.

So what’s next in free agency? The Nets likely will let Lonnie Walker IV walk after he was in and out of the rotation by the end of last season. Dennis Smith Jr. was well liked for his energy and defense but might seek a bigger payday than the league minimum he made last year.

The Nets need another point guard to help Dennis Schroder and serve as insurance, given Ben Simmons’ recurring injuries. They need someone who can make things easier for shooters such as Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and new addition Bojan Bogdanovic.

Cam Thomas’ role and shot attempts will increase next season, but the Nets need more players who can create and score. The lack of good shot creation showed in being 28th out of 30 teams in two-point shooting and 19th in three-point shooting.

Options are limited because the Nets will have just under $14 million in cap space if Watford re-signs. They’d like to stay under the luxury tax for a second consecutive season to avoid a penalty as a repeater tax team.

They could target someone such as forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who averaged 15.4 points and 5.0 rebounds last year with the 76ers on a veteran’s minimum salary. Perhaps they might consider a veteran guard such as Delon Wright or Justin Holiday who can provide solid play.

The bigger question: Will they trade away more key players? Reports during the draft indicated the Nets were entertaining offers for Johnson and Finney-Smith.

Finney-Smith, who has two years left on his contract, has been in trade talks since last summer. Johnson, whom the Nets just re-signed to a four-year deal last summer, played 58 games because of injuries and saw his role often shift from starter to reserve.

“This is the NBA. They’re trying to get better,” Finney-Smith said in April about the uncertainty of the Nets’ roster. “So they’re going to do what’s best for the organization. I don’t think none of my years in the league I had the same team two years in a row. Even if you win, teams still make moves. So I can only imagine how this summer’s going to be.”

The possibility that they will be traded is a reminder of how bleak next season could be at Barclays Center. The Nets have leaned into starting over and looking ahead instead of expecting to win now.

Thanks to the trades with the Knicks and Rockets, the Nets are armed with four picks in a deep 2025 draft. They also will have about $82.5 million in cap space that summer, according to Spotrac, and that could grow.

So any additions by the Nets this offseason likely won’t make a splash compared to trading Bridges. The good news for them is that they’ve retained Claxton, and adding Watford certainly helps.

But with a nearly full roster and an eye on long-term goals, whom the Nets decide to keep or trade this offseason matters more than whom they add via free agency.

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.