"Kyrie goes AWOL, the team is .500 and they go out and do the Harden trade" - Bobby Marks reflects on what's to come for Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets this offseason

The Brooklyn Nets exited this season with their two stars, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, failing to lead them to even a single win in the playoffs. With nine potential free agents on their roster, the Nets have a lot of work to do this offseason.

Bobby Marks, ESPN's NBA front office insider, talked about the Nets' contracts, their performances and their woes going into the offseason:

"The pressure to win is so high in Brooklyn, given everything that they have mortagaged. ... The James Harden trade has turned into a disaster. ... I thought at the time when Brooklyn made the trade in February, the trade was more about next year.

"Irving is going to be the big thing as far as what you do with him. He's got a player option. Let's face it, Irving's going to be back in Brooklyn. ... For better or for worse, Irving's going to be here. It's just a matter of what the contract is going to be. ... In a perfect world, Kyrie Irving would be back on a max contract, on a year-to-year basis"

Issues with Irving's vaccination status limited him to 29 regular-season games this season.

Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons are too costly for a first-round sweep

Ben Simmons, right, of the Brooklyn Nets.

The Brooklyn Nets acquired Ben Simmons in February in a trade that was initially deemed a victory for Sean Marks and company. But eventually the trade created more problems than it solved. Simmons never played for Brooklyn. The Nets announced his return for Game 4, then canceled it at the last minute due to back soreness.

Besides the harm caused to the Nets' image by the Irving and Simmons situations, the two burn a deep hole in their pocket, too. Simmons' payout is guaranteed for nearly $34 million this upcoming season, and Irving is eligible for a $245 million extension for five years.

According to Spotrac, the Nets will be $65 million over the cap in 2022-23, and approximately $9 million over the luxury tax. The guaranteed salaries total to $156.6 million.

The Nets also have several exceptions (seven), most of them trade exceptions (six), except a $6.34 million mid-level taxpayer exception.

Spotrac explains exceptions as:

"Exceptions are essentially 'grants,' offering teams an additional way to sign players. Exceptions can be split up for multiple player signings. However, only one of these exceptions may be used in a season, and they cannot be combined."