With free agency less than a week away from kicking off in the NBA, the Nets have been closely related with some of the top players on the market, including Kawhi Leonard. 

According to the latest odds released by Odds Shark, Brooklyn has fell down the list of teams. 

The Nets had the third-best chances (+650) at the beginning of the month, but that has changed. Now the Nets are fifth on the list at +1600. Here's how the odds shake out...

The NBA draft was further proof that the Nets are going for the big prize this upcoming summer: max free agents.

After trading Allen Crabbe, the No. 17 pick and their 2020 first-rounder, GM Sean Marks then traded the No. 27 pick to the Clippers for the rights to their first-rounder next year and the No. 56 pick.

What that did is free up further cap space leading into free agency in order to land top free agents, namely Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

The Los Angeles Clippers, selecting for the Nets in a proposed trade, took PG Jaylen Hands from UCLA with the No. 56 pick in the NBA Draft Thursday night. 

Hands joins the Nets via the Clippers after Brooklyn traded its 27th overall pick to Los Angeles earlier in the draft. 

The 19-year-old showed significant improvement his sophomore season at UCLA, leading the Pac-12 in assists (201) and assists per game (6.1) and was second-team All Pac-12. 

With the No. 31 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Nets selected Georgia F Nicolas Claxton. 

Brooklyn had the No. 27 pick in the Draft, but they traded it away to the Clippers for their No. 56 pick and a 2020 first-rounder. In doing so, the Nets created a little more cap space -- around $2 million -- to use for their free agency pursuits this summer. 

The Nets initially put the No. 31 pick on the trade block, but they're going to keep Claxton, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Brooklyn is supposedly impressed by what Claxton has done with the Bulldogs. 

Instead of using their pick at No. 27 overall, the Nets traded away their selection to the Clippers. 

Brooklyn selected for Los Angeles, taking Florida State C Mfiondu Kabangele. In exchange, the Nets will receive the Clippers' No. 56 overall pick in this draft as well as their 2020 first-round via the 76ers, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Why would the Nets trade away their pick, especially with a player like Bol Bol still on the board? Cap space. 

Brooklyn was among several teams to attend a private workout for Oregon big man Bol Bol before the NBA Draft. The Nets have the 27th and 31st picks in the first round. Bol Bol is projected to be selected of those two picks.

The Nets have expressed an interest in finding a big who can complement Jarrett Allen in the draft, as SNY previously reported.

Some members of the organization were impressed by Terence Davis' recent workout with the club. Davis has caught the eye of several teams during workouts, which is impressive considering he wasn't invited to the original NBA Draft Combine, and earned an invite via the G League version of the Combine.

Despite the infamous Celtics trade that trickled into Sean Marks' start as GM, the Brooklyn Nets have made the most of their late picks in recent years.

In 2016, they traded Thaddeus Young to the Pacers for the 20th pick, who would become Caris LeVert. The Bojan Bogdanovic/Chris McCullough trade in 2017 turned into Jarrett Allen, drafted 22nd overall. Both are now franchise rising stars.

This year, the Nets own the Nos. 27 and 31 overall picks. Perhaps they package them together in an effort to move up. Maybe they take the European route, like they did last year when they selected Dzanan Musa of Bosnia and Rodions Kurucs of Latvia.

The Nets have been considered the favorites to add Kyrie Irving this summer, but could there be a change of plans?

According to a report from Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the Nets may now be unsure of adding Irving if he can't bring Kevin Durant with him.

The Nets' preferred scenario, according to Lewis, is to pair the two superstars together in Brooklyn.

It has been known for awhile now that the Nets may benefit from one Celtics departure in Kyrie Irving this summer. But will he be joined by another? 

Al Horford, the five-time All-Star center, is reportedly no longer discussing an extension with Boston and will hit the market looking for another team. According to the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett, Horford is expecting to sign a four-year deal elsewhere. 

And as for potential landing spots for the veteran, NBC Sports Boston's A. Sherrod Blakely says to look out for the Nets. 

Al Horford is reportedly set to hit the free agent market.

The five-time All-Star will decline his $30 million option with the Celtics, and though there had previously been a thought that Horford would return to the Celtics on a more team-friendly deal, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald is now reporting that Horford will look elsewhere, likely for a four-year contract.

The Nets non-tendered forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, making him an unrestricted free agent and clearing more cap space ahead of free agency, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Brooklyn did not give the 24-year-old Hollis-Jefferson a qualifying offer, which according to Yahoo! Sports' Keith Smith gives the Nets approximately $47.4 million in salary cap space.

That number, according to Smith, would increase to $67.5 million if they don't retain restricted free agent D'Angelo Russell.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

As of late this week, teams interested in pursuing Kyrie Irving remained under the impression that the Nets were the odds-on favorite to land the point guard, per sources. But no team interested in Irving, including the Knicks and Lakers, had been led to believe that they are out of the running to sign him, those sources say.

If Irving ends up signing in Brooklyn, it may have an interesting ripple effect on the roster, particularly D'Angelo Russell.

Russell, a restricted free agent, will likely draw significant interest on the open market. The 23year-old is coming off of an All-Star season in which he helped lead Brooklyn to the playoffs. Members of the Pacers organization are high on Russell, SNY sources confirm.

Now that the Toronto Raptors have been crowned the 2019 NBA Finals champions after defeating the Golden State Warriors in six games, it is time to shift gears toward the 2019-20 season. Which means looking at the early odds for next year's champion. 

For the Nets, they appear to be in pretty good position before entering free agency. 

Per the latest from Odds Shark, the Nets are slated at 20-to-1 odds to win the NBA Finals next year. 

Kyrie Irving may have already decided on his next destination.

A report from Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald states that sources associated with Roc Nation, whom Irving is expected to choose as his representation after letting go of longtime agent Jeff Wechsler, have said that Irving is prepared to sign with the Nets this summer.

The Nets share a couple of notable connections with Roc Nation, most notably that Roc Nation president Michael Yormark is the twin brother of Nets CEO Brett Yormark. Nets guard Caris LeVert is also a Roc Nation client.

It looks like Kyrie Irving has made his decision. 

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Irving is not opting into his $21.3 million deal for next season, opening the door to him becoming a free agent this summer. This was an expected move by the All-Star point guard, who had an option date on Thursday. 

SNY's Ian Begley is hearing from sources that teams monitoring Irving's situation remain under the impression that, if he chooses to leave Boston, the Nets are currently the most likely destination for him. 

The Nets are going to be heavily active in the free agent market this summer, and it looks like another top-of-the-list player wants Brooklyn to extend an offer. 

Tobias Harris and the Nets reportedly have mutual interest in each other, per The Athletic's Michael Scotto.

Harris has bounced around the NBA during his eight-year career thus far. His most recent squad was the Sixers, who traded for him with the Clippers as they made a playoff run. Harris was solid in Philadelphia, averaging 18.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the field. Overall last season, he averaged 20 points over 34.7 minutes per game...

The Nets' trade on Thursday puts them in a stronger position to battle with the Knicks for top free agents this summer.

Brooklyn dealt Allen Crabbe, the No. 17 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and a lottery-protected first round pick in 2020 for SF Taurean Prince and a 2021 second-round pick, SNY sources confirmed.

The deal, which was first reported by ESPN, leaves the Nets with enough cap space to sign one max free agent -- and a clear path to create enough money to sign a second max star. The Nets will have $46 million in cap space and can create enough space to sign two max free agents if they rescind their rights to point guard D'Angelo Russell and make a few other minor moves...

Let's start here with Kyrie Irving, the Knicks and the Nets: free agency is still more than three weeks away.

So there's plenty of time for players -- and teams -- to change their mind about their preferences for this summer.

That applies to Irving as well. His plans/desires today may not be the same as they are on June 30. With that said, in recent days, people around Irving have described the probability of him returning to Boston as a free agent as low. Those around Irving also said recently that he hasn't ruled out teams -- including the Knicks -- as possible destinations for him this summer, per SNY sources.

The Nets have been closely connected to pending free agent Kyrie Irving lately, but don't be surprised if they're also in play for Kawhi Leonard.

According to the latest odds released by Odds Shark, the Nets have the third-best chances to land Kawhi.

The odds:

Potential suitors are lining up for D'Angelo Russell.

The Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Indiana Pacers are among the teams expected to show interest in the restricted free agent this summer, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Russell, 23, enjoyed his best season as a pro in 2018-19, averaging a career-best 21.1 points and 7.0 assists per game. The Ohio State product also earned his first All-Star selection of his young career.

If Charles Barkley was a free agent this summer and both the Knicks and Nets were pursuing him, he says he'd choose to sign with the Nets. 

Here's why: "I'd probably take the Nets because I think they're more stable," Barkley said on a conference call to promote the American Century Championship golf tournament. "I think they've got the better supporting cast. I think (Nets GM) Sean Marks has done a fabulous job and Coach (Kenny) Atkinson has done a fabulous job. Nobody thought that team would make the playoffs and they did a fabulous job. They play hard every night. They're just more stable than the Knicks. Obviously, the Knicks are the Knicks. But from a strictly basketball standpoint, the Nets are clearly a more stable organization."

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

For the first time since the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade, the Brooklyn Nets own their own first-round pick. They have a second first-round pick in 2019 thanks to last summer's trade with the Nuggets and a second-round pick.

Media projections for picks near the Nets' selections (Nos. 17, 27, 31) have been all over map. Draft analysts have said there is more variance after the top 10 in this year's draft than in years past.

So it's impossible to even speculate which players may be available for Brooklyn on June 20. But there is one priority for the Nets on draft night: Per SNY sources, the Nets are targeting a big to complement/ back up starting center Jarrett Allen with one of their pick.

While Kevin Durant remains mostly idle as the Warriors prepare for the start of the NBA Finals against the Raptors, new odds on where the pending free agent will sign have come out.

According to Odds Shark, the Nets' odds are getting better.

The list:

Knicks -175
Warriors +210
Clippers +500
Nets +700
Lakers +750
Mavericks +2599

The Nets announced on Saturday they've hired Hawks assistant general manager Jeff Peterson to the same position.

Peterson replaces Trajan Langdon, who recently left to become the new Pelicans general manager. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Jeff and his wife, Lauren, to Brooklyn," Nets GM Sean Marks said in a release. "Jeff is an innovative basketball executive who shares our strategic team building vision and will fit seamlessly within our culture. His extensive scouting and front office experience will be tremendous assets to our group as we continue to move forward."

With free agency starting in a little over a month, the Brooklyn Nets find themselves in the conversation for some of the top-tier free agents, namely Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris.

Sources tell SNY that Kyrie Irving and his camp are strongly considering Brooklyn if he decides to leave Boston. Irving's camp has kept a close eye on the Nets as the season progressed and the team got better, with the playoffs only helping their case.

SNY also learned recently that the Nets would not shy away from signing Irving even if they re-sign point guard D'Angelo Russell. The ideal scenario would be to pair two max free agents, such as Kevin Durant and Irving, but sources say the Nets would be open to pairing Irving and Russell in the backcourt together.

The NBA free agency period will begin even earlier this summer. 

The league officially announced on Friday that it has reached an agreement with the NBA Players' Association to move the free agent negotiation period up six hours to 6 p.m. ET June 30 from the previous start time of 12:01 a.m. ET July 1. 

The change also means, by league rules, that teams will be allowed to communicate with free agents or their representatives beginning at 6 p.m. ET on June 29 solely to schedule meetings at or after 6 p.m. on June 30. 

The hype around the Nets being a serious consideration for free agents this summer continues to grow.

According to multiple reports, including from the New York Post and Philly.com, Brooklyn will be one of the suitors for Philadelphia's Tobias Harris. Sources told SNY Insider Ian Begley that throughout the regular season, some people close to Harris viewed the Nets as a strong destination for Harris.

Harris, the 26-year-old Long Island native, averaged 20 points and 7.9 rebounds a game in 2018-19. The 76ers acquired Harris from the Clippers in February a year after the Clippers got Harris from Detroit.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

New Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon believes his former team - the Brooklyn Nets - are in position to land star players.

Langdon noted that in a conference call on Tuesday to announce his hiring in New Orleans.

He called his time in Brooklyn, where he served as an assistant GM, 'fantastic.'

One of the key architects behind the Nets' rebuild has left the building. 

Former Brooklyn assistant general manager Trajan Langdon was hired Sunday by the Pelicans to serve as the team's general manager. In New Orleans, he will work alongside president of basketball operations David Griffin. 

Throughout the offseason, he was seen as a fit in several front office openings, and ultimately landed with the Pelicans. Langdon is one of the Nets' brain trust who was lauded this past year for constructing a roster that went through a relatively quick rebuild and earned the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference this year. 

The Nets are going to be "aggressive" this summer, as Sean Marks stated. If they can't land one of the top prizes like Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, it appears they'll have a good shot at someone in the next tier.

According to the New York Post, Brooklyn has a "very real chance" to sign Jimmy Butler away from the 76ers.

The report says it's believed Butler likes the culture that is being built in Brooklyn.

Things can change quickly in the NBA, but the general consensus around the league at the moment is that neither the Knicks nor the Nets have a strong chance to sign Kawhi Leonard in free agency.

As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported, the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors are seen as the strongest suitors for Leonard.

But it seems logical that both New York teams could at least get a meeting with Leonard in early July. Before Leonard's trade demand from San Antonio became public last June, people around Leonard had talked about New York as an attractive destination for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year.

The Knicks aren't the only team in town with designs on a big offseason. As Brooklyn GM Sean Marks said last month, the Nets will be "aggressive" this summer to improve the roster after their rebuild took a big step forward in 2018-19 by making the playoffs. And sources told SNY contributor Anthony Puccio that marquee free agents like Kevin Durant will at least consider the Nets as a possible new home.

But as noted by The Athletic's Michael Scotto, a wrench could be thrown into the Nets' plans if a team in need of a point guard signs restricted free agent D'Angelo Russell to an offer sheet early in free agency.

Nets guard Allen Crabbe will exercise his $18.5 million player option for the 2019-20 season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Crabbe, 27, averaged 9.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 43 games with Brooklyn last season, missing the final month of the regular season and its postseason series with the 76ers due to arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

With Crabbe opting in, the Nets will have approximately $54.6 million in potential cap space this offseason, according to Spotrac.

With the Nets season over, players normally return to their families or hometowns to take a break from the grind. But PG D'Angelo Russell found himself in a predicament trying to do so. 

Russell was detained at LaGuardia Airport when a luggage search on his checked bag showed he was in possession of a "small amount of marijuana," per USA TODAY's A.J. Perez.

The 23-year-old was questioned by police after they had found an Arizona Iced Tea can that had a secret compartment holding the marijuana. He was released on Wednesday night following the incident, but received a summons to appear in court for marijuana possession. Russell still flew to his hometown Louisville, Kentucky that night. 

Entering the summer of 2019, Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks has every reason to say "checkmate" to those who doubted his vision for the organization when he took over in 2016. He refused to skip steps or make a splash move to accelerate the rebuild. He was going for "singles" and "doubles" as opposed to swinging for the fences when he didn't have enough juice to hit one.

But now, following a playoff tussle in Year Three of the rebuild, Marks has put himself in a position where free agents might approach the Kiwi GM with their own way of saying, "Check, mate?"

Several league sources have told SNY that top-tier free agents, including Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Tobias Harris, will at least consider Brooklyn this upcoming July when it's time to find their next home - if they decide to leave.

All the talk about this summer's NBA free agency has been centered around the Knicks and their ability to add two max free agents. But how might the Nets impact their plans?

Brooklyn GM Sean Marks said in a letter Thursday, shared by NetsDaily, that the Nets will be "active and aggressive" this offseason in an effort to improve the roster after a surprising season in which they finished 42-40 to earn the Eastern Conference's No. 6 seed in the playoffs, seemingly accelerating their rebuild.

Coming off of a 28-win campaign last season, the Brooklyn Nets had low expectations. The steady development of young players in Caris LeVert, D'Angelo Russell and Jarrett Allen seemed more important than wins.

The season seemed to head that way on Dec. 5. After a game-winning three pointer by Oklahoma City's Paul George knocked off Brooklyn, the Nets fell to 8-18. Mired in an eight-game losing streak, Brooklyn found themselves with the fourth worst record in the East - behind the New York Knicks.

But Brooklyn instantly turned their season around, winning nine of their next 10 games. From that point, the Nets were one of the better teams in the East, ending up with a 34-22 record in their final 56 games. Even with LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie out for lengthy periods with injury, the Nets finished sixth in the East with a 42-40 record.

Sean Marks spoke to reporters at his summer press conference where he tempered expectations but coined a phrase that would stick throughout the season.

"We have [this] year to prepare for summer of 2019."

The conference was Marks extolling expectations for the season in an optimistic way. Everybody knew the Nets could potentially clear enough cap space for two max players -- depending on the moves they make. But nobody expected the team to make the playoffs this season. 

Something the Knicks can't say.

The Nets couldn't mount a comeback in this First Round series, as the 76ers blew them out off in Philadelphia, 122-100, in Game 5 on Tuesday night. >> Box score

Seven things to know about Tuesday's game...

1) Joel Embiid was once again the Sixers' leading scorer and he only saw 20 minutes of work in the game. He had 23 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double, and collected two assists and one steal as well. He was 9-for-18 shooting as he continued to stay efficient.

Joel Embiid's left knee will be a question for the Philadelphia 76ers for the duration of their playoff run, but when he is on the floor, things go extremely well.

Embiid's presence is among the reasons why the 76ers are on the verge of advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. And they have a shot to do just that Tuesday night when they host the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Philadelphia is attempting to reach the semifinals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2001 during the peak years of coach Larry Brown and Allen Iverson, a stretch that culminated in getting to the NBA Finals in 2001.

The Nets trail the 76ers 3-1 in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals heading into Game 5 on Tuesday night in Philadelphia.

And they know what they need to do to stave off elimination.

The NBA admitted it missed a foul call on Nets forward Jarrett Allen late in Brooklyn's Game 4 loss to the 76ers on Saturday.

Allen lost control of the ball and turned it over with under 10 seconds to play and the Nets only down 110-108.

However, in the league's last two minute report, the NBA said it should have called a foul on 76ers forward Tobias Harris when he wrapped his around Allen, restricting his freedom of movement, as Allen drove into three Philadelphia players with 12 seconds remaining.

That's one costly entrance for Sean Marks.  

The Brooklyn general manager was suspended one game without pay and fined $25,000 for entering the referees' locker room after Game 4, a 112-108 loss for the Nets. 

Marks is expected to serve the suspension Tuesday during Game 5. The series between the Nets and Sixers is currently tied at 2-2, with the action heading back to Philadelphia. 

Many expected tensions to flare up in Game 3 of the Nets-Sixers series in Brooklyn, but Game 4 was went the trash talk from both sides boiled over. 

Jared Dudley and Jimmy Butler were ejected from the contest after a skirmmish in the third quarter that saw both benches clear to break it up. But the scuffle didn't end the feud. 

Embiid commented on what happened after the Sixers picked up the win, and made sure to answer the question first by calling Dudley "a nobody."

Tensions were high in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon, but the heat of the moment didn't work in the home team's favor. The Nets were up for most of the second half, but they couldn't close out the 76ers in a 112-108 loss in Game 4 of this First Round matchup. >> Box score

Five things to know about Saturday's game...

1) There was a point in the second half when the Nets were leading for 23 straight minutes. However, the Sixers eventually took the lead with a Joel Embiid layup with 2:54 remaining. From there, the Nets and 76ers traded buckets with D'Angelo Russell draining a three with 1:26 remaining to regain the lead. But Mike Scott hit the eventual game-winner, a dagger three in the corner. On the ensuing possession, Russell found Jarrett Allen on the pick-and-roll, and he would've had a clear lane to the rim if he caught the pass cleanly. Instead, the ball was fumbled and Allen was swarmed by Sixers, who took it away. 

The 76ers are listing All-Star Joel Embiid as doubtful for Saturday's Game 4 against the Nets because of a lingering left knee issue, according to reports. 

Embiid played in the first two games of the series but sat out Game 3 Thursday night in Brooklyn. It didn't hurt the Sixers as Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris dominated in Philadelphia's 131-115 victory as the Sixers took a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.

Even though the 76ers didn't have Joel Embiid for Game 3 because of a left knee injury, the Nets couldn't keep pace with the 76ers in a 131-115 Game 3 loss in Brooklyn Thursday night. The Nets now trail the first-round series, 2-1. >> Box score

Five things to know about Thursday's game

1) After trailing by six at halftime, the 76ers opened up an 18-point lead in the third quarter before the Nets closed the third on a 14-3 run. They got to within six in the fourth but the Sixers took control down the stretch.

76ers star Joel Embiid, who isn't playing in Game 3 Thursday night against the Nets because of his lingering left knee issue, said before the game that he apoogized to Jarrett Allen for elbowing him in the face and think the elbow could've warranted a Flagrant 2.

"I probably should've been ejected," Embiid said.

The Nets and 76ers have developed a budding rivalry in this first round of the NBA Playoffs.

It started with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons laughing about the former's flagrant elbow to Nets center Jarrett Allen, and Jared Dudley followed up by saying Simmons is "average." And Simmons continued the feud by answering Dudley's comments this morning, saying "That's coming from Jared Dudley, cmon man."

All of this trash talk has come in only two days since both teams have touched the court. And now it looks like Nets fans will have the last laugh before Game 3...