An External True Center Was the Only Piece Missing from the Nets’ Offseason

The Brooklyn Nets had a busy summer. They finally traded Cam Johnson, re-signed Ziaire Williams and Day'Ron Sharpe and even set a new record for the most first-round picks made by a single team in one draft in NBA history.

Through their moves, the front office and General Manager Sean Marks improved their backcourt and —for the most part—their frontcourt. The one position that seemingly wasn't addressed, at least with an external contributor who owns a proven track record, was the five spot.

Sharpe was re-signed, and Danny Wolf was drafted. But the former does have a bit of an injury history, and the latter doesn't fit the "traditional center" build. Sharpe, when healthy, is an integral part of Brooklyn's rotation, and Wolf's role is yet to be defined. But neither quite fit the profile being discussed here.

While he was a free agent last year and changed teams via trade this year, Jonas Valanciunas is the perfect example. He's a veteran big man who can provide stability, experience and consistent, solid play.

The best player the Nets could've brought in who possesses the intangibles listed above is, ironically, Brook Lopez. While Lopez left the Milwaukee Bucks to team up with Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Chris Paul with the LA Clippers, a reunion with Brooklyn would've been a storybook ending.

Now, would he have started over Nic Claxton? Probably not. It wouldn't make any sense to send Claxton to the bench after just one season under Head Coach Jordi Fernandez, as his adjustment to the system will be key moving forward. So, Lopez starting would be out of the question. However, he won't be starting in LA anyway. Ivica Zubac is firmly entrenched as the Clippers' starting center; thus, a significant role clearly wasn't what drove Lopez's decision.

That said, Lopez is simply an example of what Brooklyn should've added. They chose to address other areas and roll with Claxton and Sharpe. Maybe Wolf emerges as a top option, or perhaps Drew Timme develops to the point where the Nets have to make him a permanent part of the lineup.

Fernandez will have to get creative when the circumstances call for him to. Claxton and Sharpe are a perfectly fine one-two punch, especially in the Eastern Conference, but if one of them goes down with injury, Brooklyn is going to wish it had secured another veteran option when it had the chance.