Nets’ patience looks like it will pay off in a big way

LAS VEGAS — They say good things come to those who wait.

The Nets hope that applies to free agents, like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Nets general manager Sean Marks’ patience paid off when he held cap room for an entire season before using it to get D’Angelo Russell in a salary dump by the Lakers. It paid off when he waited out the Raptors to extract an extra pick Sunday morning.

Patience now could leave the Nets as the favorite to land Caldwell-Pope, the top unrestricted free agent still on the market. One league source said the Nets’ odds were “over 50 percent” simply because when the merry-go-round stops they could have the most to offer.

After Otto Porter Jr. passes his physical in Washington and his cap hold comes off the Nets’ books, they can finalize the swap of Justin Hamilton for DeMarre Carroll and a pair of picks with the Raptors. The Nets will have $16.5 million in cap space and could clear more by dealing players or releasing non-guaranteed ones.

They may not need all that.

Caldwell-Pope’s agent Rich Paul is renowned for getting his clients top dollar, and the 6-foot-5 wing was believed to be seeking the maximum. But after he rejected the Pistons’ five-year, $80 million offer, they pulled it. He may have a hard time duplicating that.

With teams having spent wildly last season and during a brisk first three days of free agency, few teams have the cap room to ink Caldwell-Pope. Free agents such as George Hill, Bojan Bogdanovic and Milos Teodosic had to settle for less than hoped, and Caldwell-Pope likely will as well.

Enter the Nets.

The Bulls, Suns, Mavericks, Hawks and Lakers are the only other teams with more than $16 million in cap space, but a source said the Suns won’t bid and the Lakers are only amenable to a one-year deal. At 24 and looking for his first big payday, would Caldwell-Pope accept that?

“I hate to be vague, but if the right deal comes along that uses all of our cap space, we could jump at it,’’ Marks said.

Caldwell-Pope is a two-way player whose defense could help mitigate Russell’s lack of the same, and would help the Nets transition if Jeremy Lin opts out next year. But if they don’t land him, Marks could turn his eyes toward a big. He is familiar with both JaMychal Green and Dewayne Dedmon from his time with the Spurs.

Dedmon is easier to get because Green is a restricted free agent with the Grizzlies. The Warriors and Celtics were reportedly interested in Dedmon, but both used up their cap space. With the Spurs adding center Joffrey Lauvergne, the Nets could be in good position.

A dark horse could be the Thunder’s Dakari Johnson. Blocked on the roster by Steven Adams and Enes Kanter, the 21-year-old was a developmental league All-Star, averaging 18.5 points and 7.9 rebounds. He was second in scoring at the Orlando summer league with 18 points per game. The Nets would have to trade for the Brooklyn native.

The Nets drilled the Pelicans, 95-69, behind two things rarely seen in summer league: defense and ball movement. The Nets shot 31.1 percent from the field and dished out 21 assists.

“Much better job of defending,’’ coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I don’t think anybody stood out. The whole group played well. The starters played well, the bench played well, total team victory.”

Archie Goodwin had 18 points, eight assists and just one turnover. Caris LeVert added 17 points and eight boards. Outside of the usual suspects, Jeremy Senglin finally showed his shooting stroke with 14 points on 3-of-7 from deep.

Carroll said mistrust and a locker-room schism led to the Raptors’ disappointing season. He said some Raptors were committed to a team-oriented approach, while others (including stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan) wanted to play isolation ball.

“You’ve just got to trust each other,’’ Carroll told the Toronto Sun. “This year I feel like a lot of guys didn’t trust each other and a lot of guys, they didn’t feel like other guys could produce or [be] given the opportunity, so there was a lot of lack of trust on our team, so that’s what hindered us from going [as far as the Raptors wanted].”