Sean

Marks

The night before the 2024 NBA Draft, the Nets were busy restocking their draft assets while bidding farewell to Mikal Bridges (traded to the Knicks). The transaction with Houston gets Brooklyn back into the first round of the 2026 draft, with the 2027 pick they received from Phoenix in the Kevin Durant trade now heading to Houston.

Both Lewis and Nets beat writer Alex Schiffer said that they heard this news from multiple sources, so it doesn’t look like he’s signed an extension with Brooklyn after all. He’s in the hot seat with the Nets in turmoil and his future is probably the last thing on his mind, so it makes some sense. We’ll let you know if we receive any updates on Marks’ status.

Marks’ extension reportedly came after Kevin Durant requested a trade. For now, Marks will be the GM of the Nets, even though he’s made the moves behind the rise and fall of one of the most star-heavy teams of all time. Marks will now be faced with another tall task: navigating Durant’s trade request, which could go down as one of the biggest deals ever if it happens. He’ll also deal with the constant cloud of uncertainty that surrounds Kyrie Irving, as well as the return of Ben Simmons. Brooklyn has a lot of questions that need answering, and they trust Marks to make them.

Brooklyn received this pick in the James Harden/Ben Simmons trade, but as expected, they’ll defer it and are able to move the pick starting the night of the draft. This is the only first-round pick (pick No. 23) that they can move because of the conditions owed to Brooklyn and OKC in future years, and now the 76ers will get to select someone in the first-round, pending any trades. Philly was under the impression they wouldn’t have a first-round pick, but Brooklyn’s deferral makes it so they do, and the Nets will likely hope that the 2023 pick moves up the board based on the success of Philadelphia’s upcoming season.

The New York executive order, which went into effect on Sept. 13, states anyone over the age of 12 won’t be allowed to enter “certain covered premises” inside the city -- including Barclays Center, Madison Square Garden and any other indoor gym or fitness setting -- without providing proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine unless there is an approved medical or religious exemption for them not doing so. “Regarding if they could play today, I can’t comment on who could play and so forth,” Marks said Tuesday in the team’s preseason news conference. “There would obviously be a couple people missing from that picture.” The team will host the first week of training camp from San Diego, California beginning next week, but Marks said that he is confident that by the time training camp moves to New York, everyone will be allowed to participate.

The max extension for Harden would start in the 2023-2024 season and would be 3-years $161 million. Irving’s would start in the 2022-2023 season and would be 4-years $186 million. Durant has already signed a four-year $198 million extension that would also begin in the 2022-2023 season. This would allow all three of their superstars to potentially hit free agency at the same time after the 2026 season should they choose.

They were closed for several days after DeAndre Jordan and Spencer Dinwiddie tested positive for Coronavirus, but the doors will be opened in time for mandatory workouts which begin on Wednesday. The Nets have already signed Justin Anderson to replenish their roster and more reinforcements should arrive in the coming days.

Tyronn Lue, Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Brown and the incumbent interim coach Jacque Vaughn are all expected to interview for the position, with Lue reportedly being an early favorite. For what it’s worth, Tom Thibodeau is not currently being considered for the Brooklyn job, but he has been involved in a lot of rumors linking him to the Knicks.

Marks will open the season on the injured list if he makes the Spurs, and it will probably be quite a bit more than four weeks before he’s activated.

Marks, who played in 44 games for the Heat over the last two seasons, will attempt to make the Spurs as a reserve.