Brooklyn Nets CEO Brett Yormark and GM Billy King reiterated their priorities for the team, most notably re-signing Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, and building around a young core including “Mason Plumlee, Bojan Bogdanovic, Markel Brown, and Sergey Karasev,” in a letter sent to season ticket holders.
Not mentioned in the letter? “Brooklyn’s Backcourt” Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, the two players the Nets built their roster around three seasons ago and have marketed to the borough ever since. Also unmentioned: backup Jarrett Jack, who has one guaranteed year left on his deal, and Mirza Teletovic, who is a restricted free agent. “We are planning to be active in pursuing trades that would fill important needs,” the letter says.
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Both King & Johnson said following the season that the roster could be headed for a breakup, after the star-studded team won just one playoff series in three years despite making the playoffs in the woeful Eastern Conference all three years. The note from King & Yormark is tempered and straightforward, a stark contrast to the team’s big in-your-face splash in Brooklyn.
King & Yormark added in the letter that the team will explore purchasing more draft picks, and that the Nets will reveal their commitment to the D-League “in the coming weeks.” That sounds like the team will commit to a one-to-one partnership with a new or existing D-League team, or perhaps partner up with another team as a co-partner.
Full text of the letter below (h/t NetsDaily):
Earlier this month, we went to Moscow to meet with Brooklyn Nets ownership. Our goal was to discuss the state of the team, both business and basketball, and we returned more excited about the future of the Nets than ever before.
As you are an important stakeholder in the team, we want you to know that Mikhail Prokhorov is 100 percent dedicated to delivering a winning product on and off the court.
We are committed to keeping our core leadership together by re-signing Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young. At the same time, we will continue to build on our emerging young core of players, such as Mason Plumlee, Bojan Bogdanovic, Markel Brown, and Sergey Karasev.
Heading into the NBA Draft on June 25 at Barclays Center, we are pleased to own the No. 29 and No. 41 picks. While we are identifying potential selections, we are even open to purchasing additional draft picks if the right opportunity presents itself. Furthermore, this summer, we are planning to be active in pursuing trades that would fill important needs.
We also want to update you that our world-class HSS Training Center is on pace to open during next season, which will give our players and coaches a state-of-the-art practice facility in Brooklyn. You can also expect to hear about our D-League commitment in the coming weeks, which would provide our young players with continuity in our system.
In three seasons in Brooklyn we are proud to have made the Playoffs each year, but we are not satisfied. As you can see, we are striving to be better.
On behalf of ownership, we want to thank you for your continued loyalty and support.
Sincerely,
Brett Yormark
CEO, Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center
Billy King
General Manager, Brooklyn Nets
