NBA

Beginning to forecast a complicated Nets offseason

The Nets may be losing coach Jason Kidd, but after dramatic roster overhauls the past two offseasons, they will begin the summer shopping season Tuesday trying to keep last season’s roster intact.

With 10 players already under contract for next season — and that’s without counting second-round pick Markel Brown, who hasn’t put pen to paper yet — the Nets don’t have many spots left to fill on their 15-man roster for next season. Instead, general manager Billy King will be hoping to retain a trio of free agents — Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston and Alan Anderson — and perhaps fill in around the edges.

“There are still some guys that are floating out there as free agents. The more guys you can get and get continuity back and retain some of those guys, the better,” King said last week. “I look at teams, when you’re playing Miami in the playoffs or Miami is playing San Antonio in the Finals, they make the plays at the end of the game because they have familiarity with each other and understanding the continuity and the understanding of where guys are going to be on the court, and that just takes time.

“Sometimes it’s great to go buy the new car, but sometimes the car you had runs better than the new one.”

With longtime friend and teammate Kevin Garnett set to return for a 20th season, it will be a healthy surprise if Pierce winds up elsewhere in free agency, given the Nets retain his Bird rights and he settled in nicely in Brooklyn, after last season’s trade from the Celtics.

The situation with Livingston, however, is more fluid — which is why King said earlier this season Livingston is the team’s “No. 1 priority” once free agency begins. After a terrific season on a minimum contract, including stepping into the starting lineup and becoming the team’s top perimeter defender, the Nets can offer Livingston only the mini mid-level exception, but will have to wait to see if that’s enough to bring him back.

“[July 1] is when everybody can start making offers and you get a feel for where the market is going to be,” King said. “Right now you can speculate and have ideas of who may pay and what they may do, but you don’t know what somebody may do in the draft, make a trade. … Once you start, then guys end up getting paid and if they leave, then we go to Plan B.”

The Nets could find themselves in a similar situation with Anderson, who became a valuable role player last season at both guard spots after being the 15th and final player signed last summer. Like Livingston, he became valuable both in the locker room and on the court.

It won’t be surprising, however, if the remaining key free agent — Andray Blatche — winds up playing elsewhere next season. The Nets had plenty of success playing with a smallball scheme over the second half of the season, featuring four perimeter players and one big man on the floor at all times.

With Brook Lopez returning from foot surgery, Kevin Garnett coming back for a 20th NBA season and the Nets also having Mason Plumlee coming off a promising initial season in Brooklyn, Blatche could have to go elsewhere to find significant playing time after opting out of the second year of his two-year deal earlier this month.

The former Wizard emerged as a key bench piece for the Nets over the past two seasons, averaging 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in 2012-13 — his first year with the Nets — before averaging 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds this past season.

After starting over with essentially a new roster each of the past two seasons, the Nets will be hoping to do the opposite when they reconvene this fall. Whether they will or not will be determined over the next few weeks.

Five possible targets

Bojan Bogdanovic

The Nets took Bogdanovic with the first pick of the second round in 2011, and he’s spent the past three years playing in Turkey. Only an option if Shaun Livingston isn’t re-signed, which would free up the mini mid-level exception.

C.J. Miles

Friend and former teammate of Deron Williams, Miles. A solid shooter (career 35 percent 3-point shooter) who could offer wing depth at either spot for the Nets.

Marvin Williams

He never will live up to the hype of being drafted second overall in 2005 — ahead of Deron Williams and Chris Paul — but Williams is a versatile forward who can knock down 3-pointers.

Steve Blake

If Livingston winds up getting a richer offer than the Nets can afford, Blake could be a good fall-back option. A dependable backup point guard who can shoot from 3-point range (career 38.8 percent shooter), he checks all the boxes for the Nets.

Anthony Morrow

Former Net is one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA, a career 43-percent shooter from deep who hit 45 percent of his shots from behind the arc last season with Pelicans. Also is a great guy in the locker room.