Hamilton: On Free Agency Day 2, Nets Get Joe Johnson, Dwight Next? Knicks Need Nash; CP3’s Pending Free Agency

Day Two was fun.

Day Three? Might be better than the fireworks on Day 4, the Fourth of July.

Now, what did we learn on day two?

Apparently, there really are two basketball teams in New York City, and one of them—the Brooklyn Nets—helped to prove that Joe Johnson’s untradeable $90 million contract was anything but that.

The other team across the East River—the New York Knicks—kept up their pursuit of Steve Nash, although many of their fans wrongly believe a 38-year old two-time MVP isn’t the answer to their woes.

Jeremy Lin is a nice player, but he is no Nash.

Linsanity cannot become Linsanety. Nash is a better option, which I’ve been saying all along. And because of the Knicks’ recent arbitration victory, they can have Nash and Lin, and Steve Novak, too.

But that all depends on whether they can make themselves the best option for Nash, who had a sitdown with the Nets on Monday, since Brooklyn needs a backup plan and has plenty of money to spend if Deron Williams bolts.

But will Deron bolt when he can make $101 million for 5 years in Brooklyn? Probably not. Especially when, according to Chris Sheridan, he can possibly have a team anchored by himself, Johnson and Dwight Howard.

Apparently, the Nets are all-in on getting this threesome done. And my guess is that it would not be the first time Mikhail Prokhorov put together a threesome.

Meanwhile, Danny Ferry—the Hawks new general manager—blew up his roster and, in the process, put his team in the market for next summer’s free agent crop. That crop may include Dwight Howard and—after the events of today—Chris Paul, who said “no thanks” when the Clippers offered him a three-year extension.

Jamal Crawford may soon find himself off of the market, just like Andre Miller has.

Here’s my recap and analysis of Day 2’s major free agency stories:

Nets’ Acquisition of Joe Johnson

The Nets came into this offseason hoping to retain Deron Williams and find a way to surround him with some talent. Fortunately for them (but unfortunately for Mikhail Prokhorov’s checkbook), new Hawks general manager Danny Ferry was so willing to get rid of the albatross of a contract that Joe Johnson signed with the Hawks in the summer of 2010 that he dealt the All-Star guard for almost nothing in return.

Initially, it was thought that the Nets’ deal with the Hawks was contingent on Williams re-signing with the club, but we’ve recently found out that isn’t the case.

As crazy as it may sound, I’m on board with this move and here’s why:

Having cap space and flexibility is nice, but money can’t play for you and that’s the bottom line. You need players, and after failing to land Carmelo Anthony and mortgaging their franchise for Williams, the Nets tried everything—including waiting a whole year for Dwight Howard—to get some marquee names on their roster that could win some games and open their inaugural season in Brooklyn with some excitement.

How embarrassing would it have been for the Nets, after trading Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and the draft picks that became Enes Kanter and Damian Lillard, to watch Williams cross the Brooklyn Bridge and never return?

The Nets simply couldn’t take that risk, so they made a desperate move, but that’s what happens when you run into desperate times.

Now, if Williams still bolts after the Nets acquired Johnson, they’re obviously holding the bag, but at this point, I’m going to give Billy King the benefit of the doubt and say that I don’t think the Nets would have taken on $90 million worth of Joe Johnson unless they knew something that we don’t.

According to Chris Sheridan, their master plan is to complete a mega sign-and-trade with the Magic for Howard and form a Big 3 in Brooklyn of Howard, Johnson, and Williams. And while that does seem far-fetched, I never thought I’d see Roy Hibbert become a max player, or Omer Asik to get hooked up with a backloaded $15 million salary for 2014-15, so who knows?

But even if the Nets don’t land Howard, I’d still bet that Williams ultimately decides to re-up in Brooklyn. The alternative—less money from the Mavericks and a chance to play with an aging Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion— doesn’t seem nearly as enticing.

When you put it like that, I think Williams’ choice is easy, even easier than I thought it was on Sunday. And until Williams announces that he’s signing with the Mavericks, I’ll applaud the Nets for the Johnson acquisition. Especially if they can form their own Big Three. And they couldn’t risk losing Williams.

There was no choice. They are so all-in, it breaks gambling records.

Steve Nash Solves The Knicks’ Woes

I wrote my opinion on this at length, but it’s worth re-visiting. The New York Knicks have made Steve Nash their number one priority this off-season, opting to engage him in sign-and-trade scenarios with the Suns in an attempt to get him an annual salary somewhere in the $10 million range.

Nash may ultimately opt to take the offer he has from the Toronto Raptors, but between now and then, the Knicks’ pursuit of Nash has been met with surprisingly mixed results.

Personally, I’m a bit confused that there are Knicks fans out there that don’t believe that Nash would provide the Knicks with exactly what they were missing over the course of last season.

The non-believers are correct if they point out the fact that Nash is 38-years old and a bit of a turnstile on the defensive end. They’re also correct if they claim that he and Carmelo Anthony both prefer to have the ball in their hands.

True, on the surface, there are things to not like.

But the opponents of the Knicks’ pursuit of Nash overlook a few obvious things that are worth considering.

Nash’s best days may be behind him, but just last season—with a less than stellar supporting cast—Nash averaged 10.7 assists-per-game. He still knows how to run an offense and he still has court vision.

Sure, Nash isn’t a great defender, but he’s no worse than any of the of the point guards manning the position for the Knicks last season. Despite their defensive deficiency at the “1,” under Mike Woodson, the Knicks went 18-6 down the stretch of last season and were one of the top defenses in the league.

Obviously, Nash can’t stay in front of Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, or Derrick Rose. But who can?

Point blank: Whether you choose to believe it or not, last season, defense was not the Knicks’ major problem. It was their offensive continuity.

I happen to be crazy (or sane-CS) enough to think that one of the best point guards of this generation—one that won two MVP awards—might be able to help fix that.

And most importantly, not many players come close to shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from behind the arc, and 90 percent from the free-throw line, yet—over the course of his career—Nash has. Based on those numbers, it’s no stretch to call him one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.

He won’t cure all for the Knicks and he won’t necessarily lead them to the 2013 NBA Finals, but with him, you’d be hard pressed to argue that the Knicks wouldn’t be a much better basketball team.

Think Anthony and Nash will clash because they both want the ball? Why couldn’t they share it? There’s no reason to believe that Nash wouldn’t nail open jumpers that result from defenses collapsing on Anthony when he’s isolating. And there’s no reason to believe that Nash wouldn’t excel playing pick and roll with either Stoudemire or Chandler while Anthony plays off the ball a little more.

Nash would be a significant upgrade for the Knicks and they’re wise to invest every minute of their free-agent chase in pursing him. And they can still retain Jeremy Lin as a backup/successor.

Danny Ferry Cleans House

We already touched on the Joe Johnson deal up above and if I were Ferry, I would have made the deal as well. My immediate reaction was to wonder where Josh Smith was going to be dealt, but it was actually Marvin Williams who was sent packing.

Ferry unloaded the two-years and $16 million remaining on William’s deal just hours after shedding the nearly $90 million owed to Joe Johnson.

And much to my surprise, Smith was reportedly happy with the moves. It will be interesting to see what the Hawks do with Smith, since he’s entering the final year of his contract.

It will also be interesting to see what Ferry does with the team. As it stands, Al Horford’s $12 million salary is the only money they have on their books come next summer. Jeff Teague will be a restricted free agent then, but if the Hawks manage their cap situation well, they can be major players in free agency next year.

If you’re a Hawks fan, that’s what you have to look forward to, because this year is going to be pretty ugly. This needed to be done in Atlanta, though. This team was in a terrible cap situation and had no shot of realistically competing for supremacy in the East. So Ferry did the next best thing, he lit a match and he’ll watch it burn.

Good move(s).

Chris Paul Turns Down Extension Offer from Los Angeles Clippers

Earlier today, news broke that Chris Paul turned down an extension by the Los Angeles Clippers. After signing Blake Griffin to an extension of his own and trading Mo Williams for Lamar Odom, the Clippers are attempting to build a contender.

So Paul’s refusal to sign must mean that he’s unhappy for some reason, right?

Wrong?

Remember, under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, there is incentive for someone like Paul to play out the final year of his current contract before becoming a free agent. By rule, the Clippers were only allowed to offer Paul a three-year extension worth about $60 million. Meanwhile, if he plays out the final year of his deal and becomes a free agent next summer, he can re-sign with the Clippers for five years in excess of $100 million.

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Deron Williams did the exact same thing.

So while it’s nice to think about one of the game’s best point guards hitting the free agent market next season, I wouldn’t bet on him being in any rush to leave Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Lamar Odom, and Chauncey Billups behind. Not when he stands to make $100 million and not if he himself believes that—with Billups—the Clippers are a championship contender.

Moreover, the Clippers are reportedly ready to offer their $5 million midlevel exception to Jamal Crawford as early as Tuesday. Crawford spent last season with the Portland Trail Blazers before opting out of the second year of his contract in order to become a free-agent. The Clippers hope that Crawford can fill their void in the backcourt and provide some consistent 3-point shooting.

If the Clippers managed to land Crawford, it would make their offseason an overwhelming success and would help them contend for a top-four seed in the conference.

Andre Miller Re-Ups In Denver

In a move that should surprise absolutely nobody, the Nuggets have reportedly reach a tentative agreement on a new three-year deal with Andre Miller. Miller is a favorite of coach George Karl, mainly for his leadership and his willingness to play the role of tutor and mentor to Ty Lawson.

Miller provides the Nuggets with a good alternative to Lawson’s run and gun playmaking and showed that he still had something left in the tank during the Nuggets’ playoff series with the Lakers.

Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

For my recap and analysis of day one of NBA free agency, check out Sunday’s column.

Moke Hamilton is a Senior NBA Columnist for SheridanHoops.com and will be providing the latest news and commentary during the NBA’s free-agency period. Follow him on Twitter to stay up-to date.