Brooklyn Nets: DeMarre Carroll out, Garrett Temple in
By Phil Watson
The Brooklyn Nets reportedly will lose free agent DeMarre Carroll to the San Antonio Spurs, but have a commitment from veteran wing Garrett Temple.
According to separate reports, the Brooklyn Nets have gotten a commitment from former LA Clippers wing Garrett Temple to sign with them when the NBA moratorium is lifted on July 6, but veteran forward DeMarre Carroll won’t be back for a third season in Brooklyn.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday evening that the Nets had agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal to bring in Temple.
Later Sunday evening, Shams Charania reported that Carroll had agreed to a two-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
Carroll, a 10-year veteran who turns 33 on July 27, spent the last two seasons with the Nets after being acquired in July 2017 as a salary dump from the Toronto Raptors.
But Carroll proved to be much more than that, having a career year as a starter at the 3 for Brooklyn in 2017-18 and coming back from ankle surgery on the eve of the regular-season opener last season to provide valuable production for the Nets’ second unit.
In 2018-19, Carroll was limited to 67 games, starting the final eight he played, and averaged 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game while shooting 39.5 percent overall and 34.2 percent on 4.6 3-point attempts per game.
More from Nothin' But Nets
- Nets star Mikal Bridges labeled top ‘trade target’ for serious title contender
- LAST CHANCE: Get $2,500 Bonus for Any NBA Draft Bet Before FanDuel Promo Expires Sunday
- Bet365 New Jersey Bonus: Bet $1, Win $200 GUARANTEED on ANY NBA Finals Bet Tonight!
- BetRivers NJ Promo: Bet $500 on the NBA/NHL Finals, Get a Bonus-Bet Refund if You Miss!
- DraftKings New Jersey Promo: Bet $5, Win $150 INSTANTLY on ANY NBA Playoff Game!
His 3-and-D style at 6-foot-8 should fit well with the Spurs, who shot the 3-pointer less than any other team in the NBA last season.
Temple has played nine NBA seasons after entering the league as an undrafted free agent in February 2010 with the Houston Rockets.
Temple bounced between the NBA and the G-League for two seasons before playing the 2011-12 campaign in Italy.
Since returning to the NBA in 2012-13, however, he has been a full-time rotation player for the Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and the Clippers.
Temple is smaller than Carroll at 6-foot-6 and 195 pounds (which could make him a stretch 4 candidate based on last season in Brooklyn) and is an established 3-and-D wing.
He started last season with the Grizzlies and made 49 starts for them before being traded to the Clippers with JaMychel Green at the February deadline, with Avery Bradley going back to Memphis.
After averaging 9.4 points in 31.2 minutes per game with Memphis while shooting 42.9 percent overall and 35.2 percent on 4.3 3-point attempts per game, Temple’s role was greatly reduced in LA.
He started six of the 26 games in which he played with the Clippers, averaging 4.7 points in 19.6 minutes per game, with his shooting falling off dramatically to 39.6 percent overall and 29.6 percent on 2.1 deep tries a night.
Temple played in all six games of LA’s first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs, but scored just 14 points in 63 minutes, shooting 3-for-11 overall and 1-for-7 from long range.
Temple has played 514 NBA games over nine seasons and started 212, averaging 20.3 minutes per game, but since returning from Europe, those numbers over the last seven seasons are 208 starts in 463 games at 21.3 minutes a game.
He’s a career 40.8 percent shooter and has hit 35.3 percent on 2.4 3-point tries in nine seasons, averaging 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds a game.
Temple isn’t a sexy addition, but he is a solid veteran at age 33 — almost three months older than Carroll — who will provide depth and savvy to the second unit.
The Baton Rouge, La., native is the son of former ABA player Collis Temple and played collegiately at LSU.