5 storylines to track during the Brooklyn Nets' 2022 offseason

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May 19, 2022; Chicago, IL, USA; EJ Liddell talks to the media during the 2022 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. (David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)

5 storylines to track during the Brooklyn Nets’ 2022 offseason: 2. What direction does Brooklyn take with the 23rd overall pick?

In trading Harden to the 76ers, Brooklyn secured a late-first-round pick to bolster its bench depth and shore up positions of need. This year’s draft class is deep with players who project to fill a role at the next level – although the Nets could also swing for the fences with a project player for its future.

Immediately, Ohio State forward EJ Liddell comes to mind as a stocky yet swift forward at 6’7 with elite fundamentals and improved three-point shooting. 1-for-1 comparisons can be tricky, but Liddell shows flashes of impactful and versatile role players like Grant Williams, P.J. Tucker, and Draymond Green.

If they’d prefer some firepower on the wing, the Nets may look at Notre Dame’s Blake Wesley – a slithery finisher with extremely impressive ball-handling skills that are put to use when creating an individual shot.

Other intriguing wing options in this range include G League Ignite standouts Jaden Hardy and MarJon Beauchamp, the most recent MVP of the Final Four, Ochai Agbaji, and bouncy Baylor forward Kendall Brown.

The Nets may benefit from a true floor general in Kentucky’s TyTy Washington or Tennessee’s Kennedy Chandler at the guard spot. The former benefits from stop-and-go dribbling ability and unique pacing while the latter is a pesky defender and talented passer. Each would help a second unit that doesn’t project to have much emphasis on playmaking, by design or otherwise.

Considering the impending free agencies of Claxton and Andre Drummond, the Nets could opt for Mark Williams or Christian Koloko – two players whose measurements and athletic feats played in their favor at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine.

And with all of these options, the Nets are still very much in a position to trade their pick for established players. It’s hard to say who might become available, but Brooklyn’s front office is sure to be active leading up to draft night in search of the best opportunity to maximize this pick. This team has been rather successful picking in the 20s over the last five drafts.

2021: Cam Thomas, 27th pick & Kessler Edwards, 44th pick

2019: Nic Claxton, 31st pick

2017: Jarrett Allen, 22nd pick

Next: Storyline #3

Brooklyn Nets have plenty to address this offseason before regaining contender status.</p> <p>Lofty expectations were spun upside down when during a 2021-22 season that never quite felt right for the Nets. With players in and out of the lineup, another star angling for a trade, and astonishing inconsistency on the court, the writing was on the wall all year.</p> <p>That makes this offseason one of the most important in the Nets’ brief history since moving to Brooklyn. With star players aging and much of its rotation entering free agency, now is the time for the organization’s front office to work through some of the biggest questions facing it for now and years to come.</p> <p>These five storylines are going to make or break the Brooklyn Nets’ upcoming season with lasting ramifications for years to come.</p> <h2>5 storylines to track during the Brooklyn Nets’ 2022 offseason: 1. Pivotal role players Bruce Brown and Nic Claxton enter free agency</h2> <p>With limited room for flexibility, Brooklyn entered the 2021-22 season with a revamped roster. The team welcomed a few fresh-faced rookies and highly-anticipated free-agent additions to fill out the rotation around three – now two – star players. And in the end, the most pivotal role players proved to be the scrappy pair of athletes who were part of the rotation all along.</p> <p>Aside from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the most influential Brooklyn Nets player last season was Bruce Brown – a positionless hustler who embraces every facet of the game with a physical nature coupled with astute instincts. Now an unrestricted free agent, the 25-year-old may draw interest elsewhere for his attractive skill-set that spans the full duration of the court.</p> <p>Brown shot a career-high 40% from three-point land and came up huge in the first round averaging 14 points per game on tremendous shooting splits (56.8/42.9/80). His relentless pursuit of the basketball and knack for discerning unfolding plays kept Brooklyn from completely having its doors blown off in the playoffs.</p> <p>His effort from the perimeter was paired like wine and cheese with the constant energy emanating from Nic Claxton down low. A bouncy 6’11 center entering restricted free agency oftentimes outperformed his veteran counterparts who cycled throughout the year. Some team is sure to offer Claxton a nice deal to play significant minutes as a capable, agile defensive big who offers plenty on the glass and while scoring at the rim.</p> <p>It’s unclear where the Nets’ priorities lie entering this offseason, but unless they have a clear plan for how they might replace these impact players, the team could find itself in even deeper water next year.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/30/brooklyn-nets-offseason-storylines/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Storyline #2 </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_445447" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2022/05/30/brooklyn-nets-offseason-storylines/2/"http://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2018/08/18304145.jpeg"> "Brooklyn