Brooklyn Nets Expected to Target Otto Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Most of the teams in the league don't like to pursue restricted free agents because their original team has the option to match any offers. But that has never deterred the Brooklyn Nets.
Last year, the Nets made the Portland Trail Blazers sweat a little when they gave Allen Crabbe a four-year, $75 million offer sheet. Of course, the Blazers would eventually match the offer, but it forced them to overpay him to retain his services. The Nets also went after Tyler Johnson with a four-year, $50 million offer sheet. However, they came up empty-handed when the Miami Heat matched the offer.
The team may have failed to acquire Crabbe and Johnson, but they are expected to target two of the top restricted free agents this summer.
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According to RealGM's Keith Smith, the Nets are going to pursue Washington Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. and Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. The team has enough cap space to offer a max deal to either player.
Well, it looks like the Nets are going to put the Wizards and Pistons in a tough spot this offseason. Will they match the Nets' offer even if it's a max deal?
Both Porter and Caldwell-Pope are productive two-way players for their respective teams, but are they really worth that much?
In 80 games this season, Porter averaged 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He also knocked down 43.4 percent of his shots beyond the three-point line.
Meanwhile, Caldwell-Pope averaged 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 76 games last season. He also shot a career-best 35 percent beyond the arc.
It remains to be seen if the Nets could acquire either one of them this offseason. For now, the quest to build a roster capable of competing against the best in the league continues.
