The Nets named Sean Marks as their general manager Thursday after a lengthy search that had more twists and turns than a season of “Game of Thrones.”
The Post was the first to report Marks’ name as a candidate, and after a search that Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov described as “exhaustive” – including a report Wednesday morning that the Spurs assistant GM had turned down the job – the Nets finally got their man.
“After an exhaustive vetting process, we are delighted to have Sean as our General Manager,” Prokhorov said in a statement. “His experience on the court, in coaching and management gives him a 360 degree view of the job at hand. His background helping to build one of the greatest teams in the NBA gives him an unparalleled frame of reference.
“And he impressed us all with his vision, his values, his personality and his enthusiasm for the club. The vote to select him from an incredible list of talent was unanimous. We welcome Sean into our Nets family and look forward to his strong leadership and independent thinking as we build our own success story.”
On Tuesday, The Post confirmed that Brooklyn had offered Marks the job, but Wednesday morning, several outlets reported Marks had declined the position.
At Wednesday afternoon’s unveiling of the Nets’ new $50 million practice facility, asked if he’d offered the job to Marks, Prokhorov joked he’d “never heard the name” in his best poker face. He went on to insist he hadn’t offered anybody the position and would need another week to hire a general manager.
Turns out, he didn’t even need another day. The Nets made a strong recruiting push overnight and upped their ante; by Thursday morning – despite the Spurs’ best efforts to keep their fast-rising assistant GM – the Nets and Marks had hammered out the finances for a reported four-year deal.
“I am very excited to be named the General Manager of the Brooklyn Nets, and to become a member of the vibrant and dynamic organization that represents Brooklyn,” Marks said in a statement. “I would like to thank Nets’ ownership for giving me this opportunity, and I look forward to the challenge of creating a unified culture and building a winning team.”
Despite being just 40 years old with four-plus years of front-office experience, Marks edged out two-time NBA Executive of the Year Bryan Colangelo and Denver Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas for the position.
How? He had the most varied resume and fit the profile of what Prokhorov was looking for – someone who could institute a winning system and cohesive environment from top to bottom, which the franchise lacked during the Billy King-Lionel Hollins regime.
Marks spent 11 years as a player in the NBA, winning the 2005 NBA title with the Spurs. He won another in 2014 as a Spurs assistant coach, sandwiched between a year as their director of basketball operations and GM of the D-League Austin Toros, and his rise to assistant GM under mentor R.C. Buford.
The Spurs are the gold standard of the NBA and its most cohesive franchise. And Buford is close friends with Sergey Kushchenko, a Prokhorov confidante who was on the Nets’ GM search committee.
“What we need is to have GM, the coach and the team on the same page so we can develop a strategy,’’ Prokhorov said. “There are a lot of good players, but for them it’s really not easy to play in New York. It’s a real beast. You need to be tough, and you need to have a passion to be in Brooklyn.”