3 Nets Who Won't Return Next Season

The Brooklyn Nets will have an important offseason for both the long and short-term future of the organization. General manager Sean Marks will look to retool with new head coach Jordi Fernandez after their first missed postseason in six years after the controversial end to the “big three” era of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden never getting past the second round.

Nicolas Claxton is the biggest unrestricted free agent, but all reports indicate the Nets are committed to keeping him around. Other names on the free agent market or trade block may not be able to get that same commitment with an already expensive roster.

The following noteworthy names have the highest chances of not returning to Brooklyn for the 2024-2025 season.

1. Dorian Finney-Smith

Many Nets fans were upset with the team keeping most of their secondary players on the lackluster roster when better trades were available in the 2023 offseason. Dorian Finney-Smith felt out of place for Brooklyn since he’s best served as a “three and D” guy shooting open shots and playing hard defense for a star-led team, like his role on the Dallas Mavericks in previous years.

The Nets couldn’t find a deal for Finney-Smith at the 2024 trade deadline since his value dropped dramatically. Sean Marks was not settling for a pointless haul in a Finney-Smith move, like in his trades of Spencer Dinwiddie and Royce O’Neale. However, the market should be much better to get at least a protected first-round pick with some value for the franchise this summer.

Next season will see twelve Western Conference teams having a strong goal of making the playoffs and viewing the season as failure with any other result. Most teams will be looking to make smaller moves to add to their core, and a player like Finney-Smith will be more valued than during the regular season. Marks will likely take advantage of this to move an expendable piece before too late.