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Lost in all of the drama surrounding the Brooklyn Nets is that they still have to navigate free agency and find out how to put a competitive team together.
With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant both expected to be traded in the offseason, the team will look wildly different going into next season. Free agency has not been kind so far as Andre Drummond, Bruce Brown and Goran Dragic have all moved on to new teams.
With the exception of Dragic, these were key pieces of the team last season and it’ll be difficult to replace them. With Durant and Irving expected to go out the door as well, things are looking bleak for the future unless Brooklyn receives a massive haul in return for their starts.
Despite the gloom, the Nets still have to put a roster out there and they got started in the right direction by signing former Wake Forest standout Alondes Williams to a contract.
Nets Make a Signing
Williams went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, but he’ll still have a chance to latch on with the team after signing a two-way deal. He’ll also get to showcase his talents in the Summer League.
“The 23-year-old tied for first in the ACC in assists per game and finished second in points per game en route to All-ACC First Team honors and becoming Wake Forest’s first ACC Player of the Year since Josh Howard in the 2002-03 season,” said the Nets in a statement. “Williams was one of just five players in the country to average at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, and he was the only power conference player to record those averages during the 2021-22 season.”
Williams bounced around in college as he spent two years at junior college before finishing his collegiate career with a single season at Wake Forest. Being on a two-way deal, he’ll likely spend a lot of time with Brooklyn’s G-League team, but there’s a chance he could get some reps with the Nets.
What Will the Nets Look Like?
While it might’ve been fun to think about what a Big Three of Ben Simmons, Irving and Durant could’ve looked like, it doesn’t seem like that’s in the cards anymore.
If Simmons isn’t moved as well, he’ll likely be the star that’s being built around and he’s full of questions himself. Simmons hasn’t played a game of basketball in over a year now, so there’s really no telling what he’ll look like when he steps back onto the court.
Williams won’t factor into the next season all that much unless the team completely gives up and tries a youth movement. That’s unlikely to happen as the hauls for both Irving and Durant will likely give some valuable pieces in return, unless they end up prioritizing future draft picks.
It’s definitely a strange situation for the team to be in, and whatever happens will have major implications for the franchise for years to come.
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