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After trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, many people expected the Brooklyn Nets to completely clean house. Not only with their roster but also with the front office after general manager Sean Marks sent three All-Stars out of town in the last two seasons. But Per Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the Nets are not planning to part ways with Marks and he expects to remain with the franchise after this season.
“Despite overseeing one of the most turbulent campaigns in recent memory this season, Nets general manager Sean Marks is expected back for the next, sources told The Post. The dismantling of Brooklyn’s Big 3 was lambasted in some quarters as the NBA’s worst failure in decades and had some speculating that Marks could end up being ousted. But with the Nets on a three-game winning streak, a highly placed league source told The Post that ownership has full confidence in that front office to build for the future,” Lewis Writes.
“Neither Marks nor Nets team owner Joe Tsai had any comment, but multiple sources confirmed the New Zealand-born executive’s expected return. Another source has described Marks and Tsai as having been “in lockstep.” Marks has been on the job for seven years and will oversee a second build.”
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Joe Harris Has High Praise for Sean Marks
Marks came to Brooklyn to take the Nets general manager job in 2016, at one of the most inopportune times to join the franchise. Back then, the Nets were devoid of All-Star talent and were still paying their draft pick debt to the Boston Celtics from the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trade. The Nets went from being the laughingstock of the NBA to a destination for All-Star talents such as D’Angelo Russell, James Harden, Ben Simmons, Durant, and Irving.
Despite the amount of talent that has come through Brooklyn, there has been equally as much turnover due to a lack of postseason success. But Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris who has been with Marks throughout his tenure applauds him for making “the most of the situation” during his time in Brooklyn.
“And in my time here, even in the early years, we still had tons of turnover. But for Sean, he’s always made the most of the situation, whether that’s free agents coming and going,” Harris said to the New York Post.
“I feel like just genuinely across the board, he brings in sort of like-minded people where there’s a level of just humility, togetherness, unity, where you’re trying to play and do stuff the right way. And that’s been a pretty consistent theme since I’ve been in Brooklyn.”
Mikal Bridges Dubbed ‘Ultimate Competitor’
Marks has traded more All-Stars than he would have liked during his Nets tenure, but he also deserves his flowers for being a master evaluator of talent. Before this season, he was able to find hidden gems through the draft, such as Nicolas Claxton and Cam Thomas. But his greatest find may have come from the trade that sent Durant to the Suns, Mikal Bridges.
Since joining the Nets, Bridges has been tearing it up. Per the New York Post, he is averaging 25.5 points on .526/.481/.922 shooting splits since the Nets and Suns trade. He is the first player in league history to average 25 points on 50/40/90 shooting splits through his first 10 games with a new team. Jacque Vaughn, who has seen his share of talent fluctuate through Brooklyn’s locker room, says that Bridges is the ultimate competitor.
“He is the ultimate competitor,” Vaughn said to reporters on March 7.
“I love that piece about him. He plays every single night. I love that piece about him. That ability to contribute as a teammate. He is very unselfish. He gives up time of his knowledge in the locker room during the games, so it’s really been a joy to be around him and teach him as an individual.”
