Nets followers ought to control D’Angelo Russell for the remainder of this common season.
He is likely to be the climate vane to disclose what the staff plans this offseason.
Russell returned to the courtroom — scoring 12 factors and handing out 4 assists in 25 minutes — for Tuesday’s 127-113 loss in San Antonio after lacking the prior 5 video games with a sprained ankle.
It marked simply the second time since his arrival three months in the past that the Nets had their most popular backcourt, Russell and Cam Thomas, taking part in collectively.
Watching the pair not recognized for his or her protection match right into a staff taking part in onerous on that finish of the courtroom needs to be fascinating.
However not almost as fascinating as what finally ends up taking place with Russell.
No person can say with certainty what the Nets’ offseason plans are.
They’re possible not even set, with no concept the place they’re drafting or who is on the market in commerce.
However watching what occurs with Russell can provide some indicators on whether or not they’re going big-game (and big-name) looking, or extending the tank one other yr.
After transport out level guard Dennis Schroder on Dec. 15 — the primary day of the unofficial buying and selling season — Brooklyn GM Sean Marks dealt Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers for Russell.
However they didn’t purchase Russell to switch Schroder’s pick-and-roll prowess, however as a result of Russell has an expiring contract that match into Finney-Smith’s, and Russell got here with three second-round picks connected.
However Russell — whose 8.7 assists per 100 possessions with the Lakers had been his worst since his rookie season — has handed out a dozen per 100 since becoming a member of the Nets, the perfect in his profession by an enormous margin.
With the ball in his fingers and a management position, Russell is believed to have informed these round him he needs to remain.
He scored 12 with 4 assists in Tuesday’s loss.
And regardless of the rebuild, the Nets conserving him round appears much more possible than it did when he first arrived three months in the past.
Sure, the Nets have essentially the most cap house within the league at over $60 million.
However what was as soon as a loaded free agent class has seen superstars Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard — and even standouts like Brandon Ingram, Lauri Markkanen, Rudy Gobert and Jamal Murray — come off the board with current extensions.
Sure, Marks — who used to weaponize provide sheets in his first rebuild — might use cap house on restricted free brokers like Jonathan Kuminga or Josh Giddey.
However the GM might kick the can down the highway a yr, extending the tank one other season and punting his cap house into 2026.
If he does, a technique is giving Russell a one-year deal, or a two-year contract with a staff possibility.
With the Nets sitting on a trove of cap house virtually as large as the remainder of the league mixed — Detroit is the one different staff prone to have greater than the mid-level exception — Russell’s suitors shall be restricted.
And if no star who the Nets intend to pursue turns into out there this summer time by way of commerce — Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, Trae Younger, and so forth. — then a short-term reunion might make sense for each events.
Tuesday marked Russell’s first recreation since Feb. 20.
He got here in averaging 13.8 factors and 5.8 assists for the Nets, and since arriving simply after New 12 months’s, they had been 8-9 with him, however a horrid 1-10 with out him and his playmaking.
That features dropping the earlier 4 heading into the Spurs recreation.
However Brooklyn received the one recreation Russell and Thomas suited up collectively, a Jan. 2 victory at Milwaukee being one among their extra spectacular outcomes.
Russell handed out his Nets season-high 12 assists in beating the Bucks.
However Thomas suffered a hamstring damage that stored him sidelined till final week, with the pair not sharing the ground till Tuesday night time.
How Russell meshes with Thomas — a restricted free agent himself — over the remainder of the season shall be intriguing.
However not as intriguing as what Russell’s destiny indicators for the offseason.
