Nets GM Sean Marks Is ‘Very Confident’ The Big 3 Will All Sign Extensions By Training Camp

The Brooklyn Nets had a relatively quiet offseason, which wasn’t a surprise given their roster and cap situation. The three biggest questions facing the Nets were what to do with Spencer Dinwiddie (who was sent to Washington in a sign-and-trade), what veterans they’d be able to keep (Bruce Brown and Blake Griffin re-signed, while Jeff Green left for Denver), and whether they’d be able to lock down their Big 3 to contract extensions.

To this point, Kevin Durant is the only one to sign on the dotted line, tacking four years and $198 million onto his deal in Brooklyn, but that could change very soon. Kyrie Irving and James Harden are also extension eligible this summer, with Irving able to sign a 4-year, $186.6 million deal and Harden able to add three years and $161 million to his deal that has two more years left. According to Nets GM Sean Marks, who met with the media on Wednesday morning, those deals should be done by training camp, putting the Nets in position to be the East frontrunners for the foreseeable future.

Many were quick to point out that this means the Nets tax bill will be through the roof, but that’s a problem for Joe Tsai and ownership’s wallets and for Marks to work out in terms of building the roster around them with little money to spend elsewhere. For Nets fans, it’s confirmation that this core will be together long-term and that, health-provided, they’ll be a title favorite in most if not all of the next five seasons. By the end of these deals, Durant will be 37, Harden will be 36, and Irving will be 34, which certainly presents a chance that they age out of being favorites by the end, but that’s a price the Nets are willing to pay (as they should) for what figures to be the best team on paper for some time.