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Brooklyn Nets rumors: Joe Harris to stay with Nets for two years, $16 million

ByPhil Watson|
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 4: Joe Harris #12 of the Brooklyn Nets handles the ball against the LA Clippers on March 4, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 4: Joe Harris #12 of the Brooklyn Nets handles the ball against the LA Clippers on March 4, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images)

It didn’t take long for Brooklyn Nets rumors to fly. Unrestricted free agent Joe Harris has reportedly agreed to a 2-year, $16 million deal with the Nets.

The first Brooklyn Nets rumors actually hit before the new NBA league year opened, with a report that unrestricted free agent guard Joe Harris has agreed to remain with the Nets on a two-year, $16 million deal.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the deal just before midnight Eastern.

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The mechanics and the timing of the signing will shake out in the coming days. Brooklyn will have up to just less $8.8 million in cap space once the dust settles on the Dwight Howard buyout, per Early Bird Rights.

But the Nets don’t need to use cap space for the Harris signing because they hold early Bird rights on the four-year veteran and can exceed the cap in order to re-sign him.

The latest rumors on Harris run counter to a report from Wojnarowski earlier Saturday night that had the Indiana Pacers zeroing in on Harris.

Instead, the Pacers landed unrestricted free agent Doug McDermott from the Dallas Mavericks, per Wojnarowski.

These two signings happening so very quickly into the new league year speaks to the value of shooting in today’s NBA and keeping Harris is a big win for the Nets after the season he put together in 2017-18.

Harris shot .491/.419/.827 last season, averaging 10.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game. He played in 78 games, starting 14, and was more than just a stand-still shooter.

Among NBA players with at least 100 shots on drives, Harris led the NBA, hitting 62.7 percent (84-for-134) of his runs to the rim. LeBron James was the only other player in the league to top 60 percent on drives.

Those 134 attempts off the bounce accounted for 21.6 percent of Harris’ total attempts (621), so he presented a true double-threat on the perimeter. Slack off him and he buries a jumper in your mug. Pressure him to closely and, whoosh, he’s on his way to the basket.

Harris has come a long way from the second-round pick who struggled to find minutes with the Cleveland Cavaliers in his first two seasons and was waived by the Orlando Magic the same day he was acquired in January 2016.

Coming to Brooklyn has been a career-changer for Harris, who told Michael Scotto of The Athletic in April that he preferred to remain a Net when the two-year, $2.5 million deal he signed in July 2016 expired.

Next: Breaking down Nets Summer League roster

Keeping Harris kicks off the official 2018-19 NBA year nicely for the Nets, who will have at least some cap space to pursue the team’s two biggest needs — a stretch 4 and a backup to Jarrett Allen in the middle.

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