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After being swept out of the first round by the Boston Celtics, there are many questions left to be answered about the Brooklyn Nets‘ future. One of those questions can be answered beginning on July 1. That is when Nets star Kyrie Irving will be eligible to sign an extension with the franchise for either 4-years, $184 million, or for 5-years, $248 million. The extension would pay him $42.7 million per year, which would make him the seventh highest-paid player in the NBA.
Nets’ General Manager Sean Marks says the team’s decision on whether they will offer Kyrie a max extension this summer is still pending which has caused concern for some Nets fans. However, Kevin Durant’s agent Rich Kleiman says that Brooklyn’s failure to win a title has bloviated issues such as their hesitancy to extend Irving and Durant’s long-term future with the Nets.
“Let me tell you about something that happens in the NBA. When you don’t win a championship, and sometimes even when you win a championship, the entire summer is built around all of this,” Kleiman said during a recent appearance on Hot 97’s “Ebro in the Morning”.
“When the dust settles, everything somehow resets…and [then] we gotta play ball.”
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Ben Simmons Feeling ‘Relief’ Following Back Surgery
One thing that the Nets’ title hopes will hinge on is the health of 3-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Simmons had surgery this month to correct a back injury that prevented him from making his debut this season. Nets general manager Sean Marks says that Simmons has a sense of ‘relief’ following the operation.
“From the communications I’ve had with him multiple times since the surgery, he’s feeling relief already and feeling great. He knows that it goes back to that five months, he has a big buildup to get ready and contribute,” Marks said of Simmons’ recovery per Brian Lewis of the “New York Post.
“Regarding Ben post-surgery, I don’t want to speak for him, but I can sense there’s a relief. There’s a new lease on life, so to speak. When you are able to take a problem and say that should be fixed and move that out of here and now it’s on to the rest.”
Nets GM Reaffirms Team’s Support for Ben Simmons
Simmons’ physical health has been a factor in his staggered return, but multiple reports have suggested that his mental health has also played a part. Though Marks declined to comment on the state of Simmons’ mental health, he did say that the organization has been doing everything that they can to support him in his return.
“[The question] of how do we support him through the mental performance side of things, that’s a touchy subject. I don’t want to talk about someone’s mental health or mental performance. I’m going to let Ben address that at the correct time. I will say this: Whether it’s the NBA or whether, what everyone’s been going through, I look around and I’d love to [see] if there’s anyone out there who hasn’t had some type of mental fatigue over the last two years,” Marks said via Brian Lewis of the New York Post”.
“This has not been easy for anybody. I’m not making an excuse with anyone in the pro sports area, but we all need support. And we’re coming through it. And same for Ben. We’re doing everything possible we can to get him around our group. That is the key. He needs to be in here, smell the gym again, around his friends, around his family and to participate in this, and let us help him build a culture together. Build up together, build him back up.”
There are a lot of questions still left to be answered as it pertains to the Nets’ roster construction. It will be interesting to see what the team looks like on their opening night.
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