Adding Jimmy Butler Would Be a Mistake for the Brooklyn Nets

The franchise has gone down this path before with little success.

Feb 15, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles up court during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Jimmy Butler is one of the few active players in the NBA who embodies what it means to play in New York. Hard-nosed, scrappy, passionate and incredibly driven. From a personality standpoint, there may not be a more perfect pairing for the 34-year-old than the Brooklyn Nets.

But the Nets have followed this path before, and each time it's come back to haunt them. Whenever they choose to chase the stars, it never works out and ultimately sets the franchise back years in terms of competitiveness. Brooklyn's current timeline suggests adding Butler would be reminiscent of those past mistakes.

Widely projected to be among the league's worst performing teams next season, the Nets shouldn't be focusing on adding established talent. The whole point of bringing in Jordi Fernandez at head coach was to develop in-house prospects to lead Brooklyn into the future. This doesn't mean they can't pursue players like Butler eventually. In fact, it would be a disservice to Nets fans to not take advantage of the organization's extremely desirable aspects. The move just doesn't make sense right now.

Sean Marks should follow the blueprint of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Stockpiling draft picks and bringing in high-potential youngsters seems to be the new wave for rebuilding teams, opposed to throwing big money at whoever will take it.

A far better use of Brooklyn's cap would be to serve as a safe haven for salary dumpers, taking on bloated contracts in exchange for draft capital. That's how OKC got to where they are now, and should be what the Nets' approach looks like going forward.

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