The Nets have seen steady improvement from center Day’Ron Sharpe since he was drafted in 2021. He’s set to be a restricted free agent this summer, and Brooklyn has a decision to make with him given they handed Nic Claxton a four-year, $97MM contract last year.
In an interview with Swish Theory’s Charlie Cummings (hat tip to Net Income of NetsDaily), Sharpe identified what it will take for him to reach the next level in the league.
“*Offensive rebounding — that’s always gonna be my thing, that’s my bread-and-butter,” Sharpe said. “Being the strongest is going to help me do that. I’m trying to get to a point where it don’t matter who’s on that court, I’m moving you and I’m gonna get that board.*”
Sharpe averaged 7.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18.1 minutes last season.
“*I just want to do whatever we can to help the team,” Sharpe said. “If it’s talking to the next person, then I can do that. If it’s bringing energy, I can do that. If it’s ‘go and grab every offensive rebound,’ I can do that. If it’s ‘go and drop 20,’ I can do that.*”
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This summer has the promise to be one of the most active on the trade market, and the Nets are at an advantage as the only team with significant cap space. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll spend their money on free agents. Instead, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post explains in a subscriber-only story, Brooklyn can position itself to land unwanted contracts from other teams that want to get in on the offseason action. The Nets also have five picks in next month’s draft and have been reported to be looking to move up.
As has been reported, all signs point to Giannis Antetokounmpo remaining and Milwaukee and not requesting a trade. That clarity could prove to be a good thing, Lewis writes in a separate piece (subscriber link). Instead of going all in on a superstar, the team can focus on youth development as it heads into the second year of a rebuild.
The Nets (pick Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27, 36) held a pre-draft workout featuring St. John’s forward Aaron Scott and Belmont guard Jonathan Pierre, according to The Draft Stack (Twitter link). Scott averaged 8.4 points and 1.4 steals in his final collegiate season at St. John’s and Pierre averaged 13.8 points while shooting 36.9% from three last year.