JULY 13, 10:17pm: The Nets have issued a press release formally announcing that their deal with Scola is official.
JULY 12, 11:23am: Veteran big man Luis Scola has agreed to join the Nets on a one-year contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but Brooklyn has plenty of cap room to spare after missing out on its top RFA targets, so Scola won’t necessarily be limited to minimum-salary or mid-level-exception money.
The Nets prioritized young backcourt players in free agency this summer, signing Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson to lucrative, long-term offer sheets. However, the Trail Blazers matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet for Crabbe, and the Heat matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet for Johnson, leaving the Nets with a huge chunk of cap room and a gaping hole in their backcourt.
[RELATED: Brooklyn Nets’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]
Scola shouldn’t take up too much of the team’s cap space, and he’ll provide depth in the frontcourt rather than at guard. Despite having turned 36 in April, the Argentinian power forward has managed to stay incredibly healthy over the last few years, missing just 15 total regular-season games since entering the NBA in 2007.
In 2015/16, his lone year with the Raptors, Scola started all 76 regular-season games he played for the Raptors, averaging 8.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 0.9 APG, while shooting 40.4% on three-point attempts — 65 of the 75 three-pointers Scola has made in his career came last season.
The former second-round pick fell out of the Raptors’ rotation during the club’s playoff run, but he provided veteran leadership in Toronto last season, and should do the same in Brooklyn. He’ll join Jeremy Lin, Greivis Vasquez, Trevor Booker, and Justin Hamilton as incoming free agent additions for the Nets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
…at 36 – can he still bring value to the Nets court ?
Are the Nets really going to go in the season with this roster? It may be unlike Marks to do so, but maybe taking Rudy Gay/Wilson Chandler/Tyreke Evans/MCW types into cap space? Why didn’t they get in on Bogut, Calderon etc? Shit, Nick Young might not be a bad investment if LA adds a 2nd rounder in there? May sound crazy but no one is going to watch this team, and with not much help in the form of picks, take on some bad apples to get picks.
PS: I realize Nick Young is a huge stretch lol
Kinda hard to move Rudy gay.. Pacers tried to move him with a trade off monta Ellis… which I though was a fair trade… but they didn’t want it. but they say they top trade him
Yea I mean you are right about that, the Nets can’t offer anything, and with the cap surging I guess there are less teams trying to dump players into cap space. I would at least sign another guard, maybe Lance to a 2YR contract with team option for year two? I get he wants high character players but at this stage of Free agency, idk what else they can do.
They didn’t trade for Calderon because it would’ve helped the Bulls clear cap to sign Dwayne Wade. They would’ve been an even bigger punchline in NBA jokes right now if they caused themselves not to sign Tyler Johnson by aiding the Bulls for Wade. I think they didn’t trade for Bogut because they have Lopez and wanted to not take on salary of Bogut because they planned on tying so much money in Johnson and Crabbe. The same reason why they traded away Thad Young for the #20 pick, they wanted to go younger and free up money for those two guys. Now that looks like the wrong move. Honestly, I was surprised Portland matched that deal and I think that will hinder the trailblazers a couple years down the road when they try to sign other young restricted/unrestricted free agents. Marks is doing his best now to find leftover pieces for 1 year team friendly deals because he has had his scouts/coaches look at all these guys leftover and doesn’t want to just panic and throw money at the guys he doesn’t think will perform up to that money or will create problems in the locker room because of character flaws. He probably wants to try it again next offseason with all the cap space he has so he can attempt to bring in guys that fit his system and he believes can develop into future stars. Celtics will have a great pick next year and probably a real good one in 2018, but they have yet to pick anyone that has really burned the nets anyways with the trade and even if they do in the next couple years it’ll diminish Billy King’s legacy not Sean Marks’.
I realize all of this, but my point was the same thing, is he really going to go into this season with the current roster? I know he wants his type of players and guys that fit HIS system but do they really want to suffer through one of the worst seasons in NBA History without their pick? I understand he doesn’t want to panic. I love the Marks hiring, no knock on him. All I was saying was use the cap space to gamble on some guys and do 2 year deals (with higher annual value then they would normally get) attached with team options for year 2 (a la Amir Johnson and Jerebko this year)
so for example, would Lance accept a 2YR/15mil deal with team option in year 2? Would the Thunder or Blazers match a lowball offer for Waiters or Harkless (3yr-30 million), they probably would match those. Terrence Jones on a 2YR-12mil deal with team option. These can also turn into trade assets to clear space, someone wouldn’t mind a team option to get paid more for this season.
Bogut had a choice of destination bc the Warriors didn’t just want to dump the guy.
If I were the Nets with all this cap space, I’d sign the top 3-5 FA out there. Not that you’re going for a championship, but to stockpile talent. They could be like lottery tickets, and maybe you can turn them in for 1rd draft picks. At the very least you would have an outside chance at lightning striking and maybe you make a push at the 7/8 seed. But don’t do nothing
Completely agree. At least sign some guys like Alan Anderson or someone you could flip at the deadline for a 2nd or marginal prospect. He could be flipped at the deadline for a RJ Hunter, Delon Wright, Kay Felder, Kevin Looney type player.
That’s right bring in Bennet who has no confidence along with no talent; a few other scrubs with no future; and now a 36 year old. We’re asked to have patience? Are you kidding? How is this disgraceful bunch of scrubs, losers; underachievers and over the hill gang an example of building for the future? What am I missing? The under over for wins this year is 10 like in 10 and 72. Yes Virginia there is the possibility they can run the table and lose them all! Without question the Nets will have the worst record in the NBA this season and many seasons to follow. There’s no light at the end of this tunnel. Worst professional franchise ever!
Completely agree! Im a Hornets fan and it would just be odd for them to go from signing Johnson and Crabbe to….Scola? Like I said, I know they don’t want to panic but at least Born Ready would sell some tickets. I am probably just jumping the gun, but there is still some decent young talent out there. Just might have to get crafty with the way they build contracts/build trade asset contracts
Who do you want them to get though? You make this big stink about the franchise being poorly run (which I don’t necessarily disagree with) but who do you want/expect them to get? There is literally nothing attractive about playing for the Nets since they have no promising rookies/future draft picks and only one good player on the team in Brook Lopez. The team is rebuilding, so most veterans are going to avoid the Nets if they’re trying to win a ring. The Nets also couldn’t flaunt massive cap space with the rising cap. The best they can hope for at this point is mid-level guys with issues like Waiters, Stephenson, Terrence Jones, or D-Mo.
I’m not sure if you were talking to me, but I don’t think this is Marks fault at all. I agreed with going after the RFA’s, all I was saying is I think they should use some of their cap space to sign under valued players like you said (T. Jones, D-Mo, Lance, Harkless) or veterans on team friendly contracts (that can easily be flipped at deadline): Foye, Alan Anderson, Norris Cole, kevin Martin? Most veterans out there now just want something more than the minimum, if they aren’t going to a contender.