Nets could still make major roster moves despite free agent limitation

With free agency officially tipping off at 6 p.m. Sunday, the Nets are unlikely to make any huge signings.

But Brooklyn has already done franchise-shaking business (the trades with the Knicks and Rockets , re-signing Nic Claxton ) and may yet have more major moves up their sleeves.

Trading with Houston to get control of the Rockets’ 2025 and ’26 first-round picks after shipping Mikal Bridges to the rival Knicks for essentially six first-round picks (four unprotected Knicks picks, an unprotected Knicks swap and a protected Bucks pick) signaled a rebuild.

Giving Nic Claxton a four-year, $100 million contract ensured he’ll be a part of that rebuild.

But what now?

The Nets are over the salary cap, unlike next summer when they could have about $80 million to spend, depending on moves.

Despite being able to use the mid-level exception ($12.9 million), the biannual exception ($4.7 million) and four trade exceptions ($20.4 million, $11.9 million, $9.5 million and $6.8 million), the Nets don’t have an excess of money or talent.

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What they do have is some tradeable veteran assets to move, and decisions to make.

Cam Johnson — Bridges’ longtime friend — and Dorian Finney-Smith are both veteran forwards who could fetch more draft capital better suited on a contender.

Johnson has drawn interest from the Cavaliers, Kings and Lakers, and his age (28), height (6-foot-8) and 3-point shooting (career .392) make him valuable.

But if the Nets’ ask is too high on Johnson, Finney-Smith might be more moveable.

Sources told The Post that Brooklyn rejected an offer of two first-rounders for Finney-Smith at the 2023 trade deadline.

But moving him now makes since because he can opt out after next season.

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“I’d be more inclined to look for offers for him because he’s got the player option,” ex-Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks, now with ESPN, told The Post. “The likelihood is that he becomes a free agent, then you lose him for nothing.”

After turning Kevin Durant essentially into nine first-round draft picks, the Nets effectively have 16 first-rounders over the next seven years.

They can add to that cache by moving Finney-Smith or even Johnson.

Of course whether they plan to hoard salary-cap space for a 2025 spending spree or use expiring deals like Dennis Schroder, Ben Simmons and Bojan Bogdanovic to take on salary dumps and get even more draft picks is a question they’ll have to answer.

Moving Schroder would force them to try to use their mid-level exception to try to sign a starting caliber point guard, such as Tyus Jones.

Another question that will need answering is what to do with Cam Thomas, whom they have until Oct. 21 to extend.

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The guard averaged a team-high 22.5 points and should shoulder an even bigger burden with Bridges gone.

“It’s going to be interesting, because he’s going to be a good player on a bad team,” Marks said. “He’s experienced losing certainly last year, but basically he’s in a different role. He’s kind of on center stage right now.”

Thomas is under contract for next year at a bargain $4 million, but that’s a double-edged sword.

GM Sean Marks did well to find Thomas at 27th in the first round, but since he was taken so low, his free-agent hold is $12.1 million.

Inking him now to a new deal at a higher amount would see Brooklyn lose a corresponding amount of cap space for next summer.

That’s why it makes more sense to wait, extend him a qualifying offer next summer and retain him as a restricted free agent.

“Certainly what Cam gets will play a role in the cap space next year. The challenge to extend him to significant numbers is that because he was drafted in the 20s he’s got such a low cap hold, similar to what Philadelphia went through with Tyrese Maxey,” Bobby Marks said. “So, I don’t know if I’m willing to go more than $20 million for him. … I think you want to figure out get through this year — unless you can get him on a really good deal — and then figure it out next year.”

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