The way Nets president Sean Marks has conducted business throughout the 2021-22 season, he’s made Leon Rose of the Knicks look like Jerry West.
The Nets’ stunning crash-and-burn season with the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving-James Harden/Ben Simmons troika opens up the question: What exactly is the best way to build a title contender in the NBA nowadays?
Throw together a “superteam” of $40 million-per-year superstars or build a roster slowly through the draft, as Rose is trying to accomplish now.
Though it wasn’t his first choice, the Knicks president has shifted gears in his approach and now is counting on his draft picks to lead the Knicks back to prominence after a 37-45 slip. Rose knows an important trade will have to be added to the young mix, but it’s the team’s recent and future draft picks that largely will determine the Knicks’ potential championship fate.