Will the Brooklyn Nets re-sign Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe? NBA free agency predictions

Will the Brooklyn Nets re-sign Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe? NBA free agency predictions

coming up which of the Net’s free agents will be back with the team next season i’ll answer that after this [Music] You are Locked on Nets your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast part of the Locked On Network Your team every day Welcome in to the Locked On Nets podcast right here on the Locked On Network It’s your team the Brooklyn Nets every single day I’m Eric Slater Brooklyn Nets’s beauty reporter for clutchpoints.com Thank you for making me your first listen of the day This show is 100% free on all those great platforms Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time Download the Game Time app Create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase And on today’s show I’m going to be breaking down the Nets list of free agents giving my opinion on what they showed last season and offering predictions on whether they’ll be back And when I say free agents I’m going to include the guys who are obviously the restricted and unrestricted free agents which is Cam Thomas Dron Sharp Zire Williams on the restricted end Then you have Trendan Watford is an unrestricted free agent And then you have the non-g guaranteed guys who have contracts but they can be cut So the Nets have a decision on them And that’s Jaylen Wilson Keon Johnson Tyrese Martin Drew Timmy and Maxwell Lewis So I’m going to start with the big names in this opening segment and I’m going to focus on the two guys who I think will bring back the most noteworthy contracts The first being Cam Thomas a player I did a episode on last week talking about why the Nets are in a great position to retain him as a restricted free agent and that is because they are the only team in the NBA with cap space So other teams who are looking to give Cam an offer are going to be limited to the non-t taxpayer mid-level exception which is around $14 million I would expect Cam’s deal with the Nets to come over that Definitely people I’ve spoken with have said they expected to be in the range of 20 to $25 million annually Bobby Marx recently put out an article ESPN Front Office Insider former Nets executive saying that he felt the same way about you know the contract being in the 20 to 25 million range annually And it’s really going to come down to the length for Cam Thomas You know a longer type of deal Are the Nets comfortable locking him in at that number does he want to lock himself in at that number or is it a shorter term deal where the Nets maybe feel more comfortable not tying tying up long-term money on their books he might also feel comfortable more comfortable doing a short-term deal because it allows him to reenter free agency at a sooner date and potentially get an even bigger contract But that’s really what it’s going to come down to for me is the length of the deal I expect it to be a multi-year deal You know whether it’s a two three fouryear deal the number you know will be noteworthy but I would expect it to come in at that 20 to 25 million range And I think once the deal gets done it’s going to offer a great opportunity for Cam to you know prove himself on this next iteration of the team I spoke on my last podcast and you know I cast doubts about what his role will be in the NBA long term And I want to clarify I think some people hear that um and think that I’m just extremely down on Cam I think Cam can be a great player on a championship team I think he can be a very productive player I question whether or not he’s going to be a starting player in the back court And for me that really comes down to the fact that you know undersized guards who aren’t great defenders and aren’t great passers are a they’re few and far between in the league And if you’re going to be that type of archetype of player you really need to be an elite elite efficient scorer Can Cam get there there’s a possibility Can he round out those other less polished aspects of his games certainly I think he started to do it last season so we’ll see But I think with a player of his archetype there’s always going to be those questions of can this be a guy who you know is a featured player in a championship caliber ro caliber rotation When I say featured player I mean starter So we’ll see with Cam I think that he has the arrows pointing up on him I think that he’s shown a lot of really promising things these last couple of seasons and we’ll see what he’s able to do with this next contract because I think it will serve as another audition period because the Nets are transitioning into a new era They’re going to have a lot of younger guys coming in They have a number of timelines and directions that they can go in and whether or not he’s going to be a part of that will ultimately come down to his development over this next season or two So it’s really exciting from that perspective and I would expect him to be back on a multi-year contract We’ll see about the ultimate length Next guy being Dron Sharp I think a player that Nets fans have really grown to love and I think showed a lot of really really encouraging things last season He’s another guy that I’m expecting to be back All these guys I’m talking about in this first segment are guys I’m expecting to be back And Dron I think there were some questions after you know his first three seasons His third season he cracked the rotation as Cam Thomas did And you know he showed some flashes I think he showed some flashes throughout all three of those first three seasons but last season he really came into his own And while he battled injuries for a portion of the year I think he showed enough to secure secure what will be a significant payday for him I’m you know it’s tough to say exactly what it will be right now but if it was something in the 10 to$15 million range annually for a two or threeear deal something along those lines I’m not sure exactly I’m not saying any of this with inside info I would just expect it to be something coming in around there And there are other teams who could offer him that As I said teams who have access to that non-t taxpayer mid-level exception which is $14 million But based on Dron’s comments based on things I’ve heard from the Nets end and also from Dron’s end I think that he’s going to be back with the Nets think he likes it in Brooklyn and I think he really enjoys you know the role that he was able to play last year and the thing that the things that he was able to do because if we’re talking about DRON’s production he really impacted the game in a lot of different ways during his minutes last season The rebounding is obvious That’s been the elite skill that DRon’s brought to the table since he came to the league Last year he was near an 18% offensive rebounding percentage That was the second highest in the NBA among all players to play over 600 minutes The only player who was higher than that was Steven Adams So he is he is an elite rebounding force especially on the offensive glass And we’re seeing it more and more in these playoffs that the NBA basketball it’s a possession game now You need to win the possession games whether that’s you know offensive rebounds whether that’s turnovers whatever you want to say If you can get more possessions than the other teams that’s becoming more valuable than ever before with the three-point line with the way the game’s played with the pace of it So Dron’s offensive rebounding is a skill he’s always had he’s maintained it you know whenever he’s gotten to play at any level and I think it’s really valuable But the other things that you were looking at with Dron’s game you know the uh passing started to improve last season I think he showed that again this season More importantly the defense was a question I think you know throughout Don’s minutes that he got through his first three seasons he’s this guy who was a little bulkier you know struggled to move a little bit And because of that when the Nets were in their switching scheme he couldn’t do that when he came in for Nick Claxton they couldn’t go to the switching scheme as they did with Claxton So they went more to the drop coverage He couldn’t really play in the drop coverage He wasn’t big enough He wasn’t quick enough or long enough to kind of play that um effectively in between the ball handler and the role man So he kind of got caught in no man’s land a lot But last season he looked a lot better in that regard you know in a lot of different ways whether he they whether he got caught on switches which I don’t think the Nets were intentionally switching him often but when they did I thought he was really effective And they really towards the second half of the year went to this kind of hedge and recover defense And I thought that uh Don looked extremely well moving laterally moving you know in all directions defensively And I think that that was a really encouraging sign for his development because when you look at the defensive numbers for Dron he posted a negative 6.7 defensive net rating last year So that means that opponents scored 6.7 points fewer per 100 possessions when DROM was on the court That was the sixth best mark among all centers to play over 600 minutes So he was really effective defensively and you know this wasn’t a small sample size like he got to play a decent amount of minutes last year So I thought that was really encouraging You know offensively I think the finishing needs some work but he did show some good touch signs He shot 76% from the free throw line He began expanding his range beyond three Obviously the efficiency wasn’t there but he at least showed capable and willing of doing it So could there be something to work with there i think that you know all of that is really exciting and I think that Dron’s going to be a guy who’s going to be back with the Nets I think they’re excited to see what he can grow into And I think he’s a guy who’s done enough to show that he should have a solidified rotation role in the NBA for a while now So you know exciting developments for Dron and I’m excited to see him get paid this summer Last couple of guys I want to talk about is guys who I think are very likely to be back The first being Zire Williams He is a restricted free agent but I should have mentioned this with Ca with Dron as well With Dron and Zire the Nets can renounce their rights and make them unrestricted which will save them some money towards their cap space because their cap holds get taken away if you renounce their rights and they become unrestricted free agents They can also negotiate extensions with all of these guys the day after the finals end So whenever the day after the finals end is until free agency begins on June 30th they have an exclusive negotiating uh window to negotiate extensions with these guys so they could get it done before they hit the market But Zire is a guy who I expect to be back Do I expect him to get a a big deal no I think it’ll be another prove it deal But I think he did enough coming over from Memphis as a former lottery pick last season playing a rotation role with the Nets really having a consistent role and more of a leash to do you know certain things and make some mistakes I think more so than he did in Memphis for a team that was trying to contend around John Moran and Triple J and those other guys But I thought Zire showed flashes He had his best three-point shooting season of his career by far He shot 34% on around five attempts per game He’s talked throughout the year about his tweak in his form uh from his trainers last year and something that started in Memphis with some of their assistant coaches last season And he also talked about the willingness um or the uh leeway that the Nets coaching staff gave him to shoot and the kind of urging of them to tell everybody to shoot all the time He said at points to me throughout the season that it was almost too much with how much they were telling him to shoot But I think he enjoyed that I think he enjoyed the role and this is a really good opportunity for Zire to be with a team who’s rebuilding He’s definitely going to get minutes with and will you know potentially be able to do something and earn a contract down the line if he continues to produce So I think he’ll be back I think Jaylen Wilson last guy I want to touch on in this first segment Another guy who I think will be back He’s a partially guaranteed contract next season but I think you know based on the flashes that he showed in his first couple years I think the Nets will give him another shot next season to see what he can be And he’s a player who you know I think the jury’s very much still out on whether he can be a rotation player in the NBA but as a depth piece as a guy who brings some intangibles I think there’s some exciting stuff there And I do think that he’s done enough to earn another opportunity with the Nets So I’d think he’ll be back as well Coming up next I’m going to touch on several players with uncertain futures who may have done enough to secure another season with Brooklyn But before that want to tell you about our friends over at Game Time There’s nothing like the NBA playoffs The intensity the buzzer beaters the fans losing their minds It’s the kind of atmosphere you must experience live And this year’s matchups are already delivering If you want in game time makes it fast and easy to get seats even for the biggest playoff games Prices on the app actually drop closer to tip off And with killer lastminute deals panoramic seat views and no surprise fees Game Time is a total gamecher Look guys I had a bunch of friends looking for tickets in New York for these Knicks playoff series They seemed impossible to get They went to the Game Time app and zone deals were offering 60% off in great sections They love that they could see the exact view before buying No surprises The app makes it ridiculously simple Two apps and you’re done And with the game time guarantee you know you’re getting the best deal If you find a better price in the same row and section they’ll credit you 100% 110% of the difference The NFL schedule also just dropped and you better believe I’m already looking at my fall calendar and picking which games to hit Game time makes scoring NFL tickets just as easy You’ll find great seats for as low as $100 thanks to exclusive discounts If you’ve never used Game Time to grab NFL seats now’s the time It’s seriously a game day upgrade Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time Download the Game Time app Create an account and use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase Terms apply Again create an account and redeem code L O C D O NA for $20 off Download the Game Time app today Last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed Coming out of the break talking about the Nets free agents this coming season and who I think may have a chance to be back with the team but I’m not sure solidified a spot on the roster next season Three guys I want to touch on The first being Trendan Watford a really encouraging and interesting player over these last couple seasons with the Nets Played his first couple years with the Portland Trailblazers is more of a a small ball five a front court piece and then he comes in with the nets and he plays more of a ball handling role more of a change of pace point forward type of player a guy who’s really versatile and I think brings a lot of interesting things to the game I really liked what I saw from Trendan last season of his ability to be a shot creator his ability to be a guy who generates offense late in the shot clock some of the other things he was doing I think defensively it’s not always amazing but I think there’s enough size and versatility there to hold up So he has an intriguing skill set The drawbacks with Trendan are obviously going to be you know he’s not really a center He’s not a true big man And the three-point volume as a ball handler still isn’t there You know the efficiency went down this year and the volume only went up slightly I think he was at around 3.5 three-point attempts per 36 minutes So that’s not a lot of volume and he was low efficiency on that volume So that’s really seems like it’s going to be a swing skill for him in the NBA because if he’s going to be a ball handler and a guy who you put the ball in the hands of whether it’s in the pick and roll these other sets you’re going to want him to be able to pull up from three and make defenses pay in that regard And if you’re he’s not and you’re going to play him off the ball he’s not big enough and doesn’t offer some of like the center qualities that you want as a rim protector as a lob threat as some of those things where if you don’t offer those things you want a guy to be a floor spacer be able to do some of those things And he really isn’t a floor spacer He hasn’t shown a ton of willingness and the efficiency this season went down So it’s tough from that regard As a ball handler I think he needs to clean it up You know handling I think he was a little sloppy at some points especially down the stretch of the season A lot of turnovers but he was being tasked with playing a role where he was you know still adjusting to and changing to where you know his first couple seasons in the NBA he wasn’t a ball handler really in any capacity So given the fact that it was a role change I think it was really promising I think that he does have a lot of utility and even if he’s a guy whose limitations as a floor spacer kind of you know the quirkiness of his position might keep him out of a rotation like a high-end rotation I think he’s still a guy as a depth piece who is really interesting because we’ve seen it throughout NBA seasons Guys get hurt You need guys who can handle the ball You need guys who can generate offense and a guy in trending who does have some positional versatility and can be that end of the bench guy who when you know you need to dust him off after a few weeks maybe he’s on the bench you bring him in he can be a change of place payer player he can generate some offense he can score you know some late shot clock buckets I think there’s always a value for that in the NBA and I think that that will keep him on an NBA roster is it with the Nets next season I would expect that trend in his back and gets another opportunity do I think it’s a foregone conclusion I don’t But I think that it’s an opportunity that you know I think that I think they’ll give him another shot And from his perspective I think it’s another year where you know if you’re in his position you’re going to want to be on a team where you’ll get some minutes And I think the Nets obviously as a rebuilding squad could offer him that opportunity So I think he’ll be back Not certain but I think there’s enough intrigue with Trendan and what he’s brought to the table as a guy who’s still young He’s only 24 years old So we’ll see what he can do there Next player is Keon Johnson A player the Nets converted from a two-way contract to a standard deal ahead of last season And a guy who really played you know a feature role in extremely heavy minutes Started a bunch of games for the Nets He attempted he’s had 10 field goal attempts per game Of the players who finished the season on the team Keon Johnson was third on the team in field goal attempts per game The only guys ahead of him were Cam Johnson and D’Angelo Russell So that really gives you a sense of you know Keon and I think the Nets are really in you had a lot of intrigue and were really interested by his tools whether it be defensively the athleticism He’s one of the most athletic guys to come in through the NBA combine Uh he’s holds the NBA all-time record for max vertical leap at the combine So him coming in having those tools I think they were interested to see if they he if he could round out some of the less polished aspects of his game his offensive game particularly and they gave him an extended leash to do so And I think he showed some encouraging signs I mean the defense first of all coming into the season uh I talked at summer league last year to Steve Hzel who is one of the Net’s top assistants and coached Keon over in Portland and the thing that he had harped on throughout the season was that he wanted Keon to reach his potential defensively they were really you know driving that home with him You have these athletic tools you have these gifts you need to be a plus defender and that’s something that really is a non-negotiable for you especially given the offensive limitations as a floor spacer and some some things along those lines And I think he was successful in that regard The point of attack defense the pressure some of what we saw Zire Williams I should have mentioned the defense as well Zire Williams Keon Johnson When we saw the Nets overachieving in some of these games and winning some games that I think frustrated Nets fans from the aspect of the tank last season it was some guys like Keon Johnson like uh Zire Williams earlier in the year Dennis Shruder but these guys who were pressuring full court were really buying into Jordy Fernandez’s defensive philosophy and were just hustling and outworking teams And I think Keon Johnson was one of those guys especially on the defensive end I mean the three-point shot obviously wasn’t there He The volume was there He took around five per game but shot only 31.4% So that’s something that could hold him back for sure And if he’s ever going to get to be a rotation caliber player in the NBA in a good rotation he’s going to need to shoot the ball much higher and at a much better level Something that he has yet to do up to this point in his career But I think the Nets really appreciate what he did defensively last year I think you know the offense there were some flashes some some self-creation and things along those lines So I think he did enough to be back and I think that the Nets are going to really try to lean into the development of that shot and they’ll see what they can get from him because I think they appreciate the hustle the athleticism the spark some of the things he brought especially as a point of attack defender So we’ll see with him Next guy Tyrese Martin A player who was on a two-way contract with the Nets They converted him to a standard deal ahead of this season Keon and Tyrese are both non-g guaranteed contracts so the Nets can cut them for basically nothing But Tyrese was a pleasant surprise for the Nets and you know really showed as an older guy He’s you know going to be 26 years old next season but he shot 35% from three on five attempts per game He had that game earlier in the season against Phoenix where he hit eight threes had 30 points or whatever it was So the shooting seemed like it improved and he flashed some self-creation and pick and roll ball handling down the stretch of the year when the Nets were really decimated you know somewhat intentionally in terms of their ball handlers He showed some flashes and he looked comfortable in that regard you know is at he’s he’s an older prospect you know to be coming off a two-way and just getting like his first standard contracts in the league Is he a guy that’s ever going to crack a rotation i’m not sure but I know that the Nets were high on what he did I know that the Nets appreciate the way that he approached a lot of the things that he did last season and the three-point shot had moments where it really looked legit and there were some other decision-making chops some ball handling chops some things that he flashed that I think are going to be enough to bring him back to the Nets this coming season at least for part of the year So we’ll see But Tyrie Smart another guy who I think did enough to secure a spot Coming up next to close out the show I’ll touch on the Net’s final remaining free agents and how the team’s hoard of draft picks could affect their futures But before that want to tell you about our friends over at Wayfair There’s nothing like stepping into your own outdoor space and feeling like you’ve escaped to a personal oasis If you’re wanting to update your patio this season Wayfair has made it so easy to turn it into a space that feels like yours Comfortable stylish and ready for summer Wayfair has everything you need to level up your outdoor space conversation sets outdoor bars fire pits hot tubs gazeos and yes even the perfect string lights to set the vibe It’s like giving your backyard that resort feel without the resort price tag Guys are you looking to redesign your patio this summer maybe your style leans more towards clean and modern You’ll love being able to filter and find exactly what fits your space and budget The delivery is free fast and totally hassle-free even with larger items Don’t wait Make your outdoor space your dream oasis today with Wayfair and enjoy it all summer long Head to wayfair.com right now to shop a huge outdoor selection That’s w afir.com Wayfair every style every home Closing out today’s locked on Nets episode talking about some of the Nets free agents and whether they’ll be back next season Final two guys that I’ve yet to touch on Maxwell Lewis and Drew Timmy two players who are on non-g guaranteed contracts this coming season Starting with Lewis came over uh to the Nets in the D’Angelo Russell trade uh with the LA Los Angeles Lakers midway through the year and I think you all remember play got in his first game against the Raptors made a three I think the final two minutes of the game he came in and on that three fractured his tibia and it seemed like it could be a really serious injury and that he was going to be out for at least the rest of the season and maybe even beyond that And he comes back in six weeks and was able to return and he showed some flashes I mean he got to play limited minutes but when he was in the game he had a couple of games that were really high level One against the Boston Celtics He you know as a weighing a guy 6’7 has some length has a little bit of versatility He was not afraid to let it fly offensively That was something that he took a lot of pride in and he was effective on limited volume but he shot 38% from three I think he was around I think it was 19 of 50 on the year He was played in 21 games So the three-point shooting showed some promise I think there’s some length and some measurables some things that are interesting And he’s a guy who you know these two guys Timmy and Lewis I’m not sure that they’re going to be back And I think that the Nets you know influx of youth that is coming could influence their fates because we all know the Nets have four first round picks in this draft They have five within the top 36 Are they going to bring in all of those guys and make five selections i think that that’s highly unlikely you know I think it’s you know more likely that we’re looking at probably two or three rookies coming in and that they could look to deal some of those picks whether they’re consolidating to move up or whether dealing for you know future picks So I don’t think it’s going to be all that But even then with all the guys that I’ve named before this you know the partially guaranteed guys and the free agents we’re talking about Watford um Tyrese Martin Keon Johnson Jaylen Wilson like all those guys who are going to be back alongside the obvious guys like it it’s really starting to limit the roster spots especially when you look at the guys who are already under contract So there’s only going to be you know like one two roster spots left with all the guys that I’ve already said are potentially coming back And the Nets are probably going to want to leave a roster spot open for a salary dump You know another guy might come in or multiple guys during this off seasonason that I you know aren’t on the roster right now So that would take away salaries um that would take away roster spots But you know Lewis and Timmy are interesting in that regard because they’re guys who can be converted to two-way contracts They haven’t used up their years of service in that regard So they could be waved and then signed to two-ways and remain with the team And I think that that’s a route that could make sense for Lewis You know he’s a younger guy came in out of Pepperdine and I think that he has a shot to be a productive player in the league um or at least an end of the bench guy in the league So we’ll see with him But I think the three-point shooting and some of what he showed was encouraging but you know we’ll see with him with Timmy I think everybody loved Timmy Was a fan favorite Towards the end of the year was just hooping in the G-League with Long Island multiple 50point games was averaging like 35 for a few weeks and came in and got his first standard contract with the Nets And I think it was really cool to watch him play You know a guy who was somewhat of a household name at Gonzaga and an NCA tournament performer I think you know he did some encouraging things but I think the archetype of player it’s clear to see you know why this was his first time why he went undrafted why he struggled to find an NBA home up to this point Just him as a grounded center When you’re a guy who’s you know you’re not a lob threat he’s tried to start shooting the three Shot it well with Long Island but with the Nets was you know low 20s in percentage from three And when you’re guys who’s not a lob threat or not a floor spacer offensively also defensively not going to protect the rim you know these centers these grounded guys who you know are often of a a certain skin tone a lot of them need to be able to shoot the three to stick in the league You need to be able to do some of those things You need to be a really good passer You know there’s some other things you need to bring to the table if you’re not going to be that traditional you know rim rolling or floor spacing type of guy So Timmy I think you know there’s intrigue He can score in the post a little bit there’s things that he can do from that end I think he showed some improvements as a decision maker as his minutes with the Nets went on but there’s just so much that you know you can only do so much when you’re that type of archetype and that type of skill set So he’s an interesting guy He’s a guy who could be converted to a two-way contract as I said I think that that’s a route that could you know make some sense for him think securing a roster spot a standard roster spot with the Nets this season with the number of rookies they have coming in with the number of free agents who are going to be coming back I think that’s going to be a real uphill batter battle for Timmy and probably Lewis too Those are two guys who I’d look at as potential conversions to two-way contracts and who could stick with the Nets that way But we’ll see what’s the fate for Timmy Lewis all the other guys I named which guys I’m right about which guys I I’m wrong about I think there’s a lot of intriguing players who could be back you know into this next phase of the rebuild and we’ll see how it all shakes out But that does it for this episode of Locked on Nets Thank you to all of you for tuning in and supporting the show Be sure to like comment subscribe if you want to help build this channel Go to YouTube Locked on Nets Also wherever you get your podcast whether Apple Podcast or Spotify anything you can do to engage is much appreciated But I’ll be back tomorrow talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball

Erik Slater breaks down the Brooklyn Nets’ free agents and predicts whether they will return to the team. He analyzes key players, such as Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe, among others, offering projections for their new contracts.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nets/

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

📲 Follow Locked On Nets on Socials
Locked On Nets https://twitter.com/LockedOnNets

#BrooklynNets #NBA