After dramatic roster overhauls each of the past two offseasons, the Nets will begin the summer shopping season Tuesday trying to keep last season's roster intact.
With 10 players already under contract for next season — and that's without counting second-round pick Markel Brown, who hasn't put pen to paper yet — the Nets don't have many spots left to fill on their 15-man roster for next season. Instead, general manager Billy King will be hoping to retain a trio of free agents — Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston and Alan Anderson — and perhaps fill in around the edges.
"There are still some guys that are floating out there as free agents. The more guys you can get and get continuity back and retain some of those guys, the better," King said last week. "I look at teams, when you're playing Miami in the playoffs or Miami is playing San Antonio in the Finals, they make the plays at the end of the game because they have familiarity with each other and understanding the continuity and the understanding of where guys are going to be on the court, and that just takes time.
"Sometimes it's great to go buy the new car, but sometimes the car you had runs better than the new one."
With longtime friend and teammate Kevin Garnett set to return for a 20th season, it will be a healthy surprise if Pierce winds up elsewhere in free agency, given the Nets retain his Bird rights and he settled in nicely in Brooklyn, after last season's trade from the Celtics.
The situation with Livingston, however, is more fluid — which is why King said earlier this season Livingston is the team's "No. 1 priority" once free agency begins. After a terrific season on a minimum contract, including stepping into the starting lineup and becoming the team's top perimeter defender, the Nets can offer Livingston only the mini mid-level exception, but will have to wait to see if that's enough to bring him back.
"[July 1] is when everybody can start making offers and you get a feel for where the market is going to be," King said. "Right now you can speculate and have ideas of who may pay and what they may do, but you don't know what somebody may do in the draft, make a trade. … Once you start, then guys end up getting paid and if they leave, then we go to Plan B."
The Nets could find themselves in a similar situation with Anderson, who became a valuable role player last season at both guard spots after being the 15th and final player signed last summer. Like Livingston, he became valuable both in the locker room and on the court.
King and Kidd said the Nets would like to bring him back, as well — assuming they can afford to do so. Anderson potentially could command a raise and a multi-year deal on the open market.
"Yeah, I thought those guys were all great for us," Kidd said at the unveiling of the team's practice facility in Brooklyn on Thursday morning. "When you look at those guys, their corporate knowledge was very important going into next season because they know what we're trying to do, so we don't have to start over."
Nets looking to retain more than retool in free agency.
After starting over with essentially a new roster each of the past two seasons, the Nets will be hoping to do the opposite when they reconvene this fall. Whether they will or not will be determined over the next few weeks.
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