Nets' GM Reveals Long-Term Vision Ahead of Pivotal Offseason

Toward the end of February, the Brooklyn Nets were on a heater. They had won seven of nine, only trailed the Chicago Bulls by a half-game for the Eastern Conferences 10-seed and appeared primed for the postseason in year one of head coach Jordi Fernandez's tenure.

As February ended and March began, all of Brooklyn's momentum came to a screeching halt. Following last night's 105-102 road loss to the Charlotte Hornets, the Nets losing streak extended to seven as the playoffs now seem like a farcry.

However, immediate success was never the plan for this year's roster. If the trades of Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith in late December aren't enough of an indicator that winning now isn't a priority, an early season interview with general manager Sean Marks is.

“Those in the know and those in our Nets family understand we’re building this and we’re building this for hopefully sustainable success,” Marks told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “That’s what we want. We want to get it to that. We’re going to have to be systematic with some of the decisions we make. And they may not always be in line with winning the next game or putting the most talent out there.”

The latter half of Marks' quote is exactly what Brooklyn fans who are "team tank" want to hear. Ahead of a pivotal offseason — one where the Nets may be equipped with a top draft choice and the most cap space leaguewide — management is continuing to plan for the future.

Also mentioned in Lewis' recent piece: support of the direction from a Western Conference scout.

“They’re doing exactly what they should be doing,” the anonymous scout told Lewis, referring to the seven-game skid.

If sustained success is Marks' ultimate goal, Brooklyn cannot get infatuated with making a big move for a superstar, as its done before. Building from within alongside their player development guru at the helm (that being Fernandez), the Nets must ensure that this time they rebuild properly.

Acquiring young talent and draft assets will be paramount for the organization in the coming months.

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