Brooklyn Nets rumors: Big splash for Brooklyn as free agency set to begin
By Phil Watson
According to reports, the Brooklyn Nets are going to secure commitments from Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan as free agency opens Sunday night.
In a bigger plot twist than any Hollywood blockbuster could imagine, the Brooklyn Nets are reportedly on the verge of leaving the discount rack at Wal-Mart behind to living large at Bloomingdale’s.
The franchise whose biggest free agency signings include names such as Jeremy Lin and Armen Gilliam is reportedly on the verge of securing free agent commitments from Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan later Sunday night.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com broke the report.
Brooklyn is making a clean sweep tonight: Brooklyn will sign Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
That brings a former NBA MVP and three players with a combined 17 All-Star game appearances and 14 All-NBA selections between them.
Durant becomes just the second former NBA MVP to suit up for the Nets since they joined the NBA in 1976 and is the first since Kevin Garnett, acquired in the infamous trade from the Boston Celtics in July 2013.
As a franchise, the Nets have 23 All-Star selections since 1976, the most recent being D’Angelo Russell in 2019.
According to Wojnarowski, Brooklyn will be signing both Irving and Durant to maximum contracts once the annual moratorium is lifted on July 6.
Sources: Durant will sign a 4-year, $164M deal with the Nets; Irving will sign 4-years, $141M.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
Russell is the odd man out in this flurry of activity by Nets general manager Sean Marks. Brooklyn on Friday extended a qualifying offer to make Russell a restricted free agent, but in order to create the cap space to bring in Durant, Irving and Jordan, he may have to be renounced by the Nets.
Or not.
ESPN‘s Zach Lowe, in his free agency primer piece published Friday, said the Minnesota Timberwolves were interested in a potential sign-and-trade for Russell. However, as Lowe wrote:
"Minnesota has sniffed around Russell, though the Nets have no interest in Jeff Teague on the other end of any sign and trade, sources say."
Another discussion reportedly out there involved the Nets participating in a three-way sign and trade that would send Irving to Brooklyn, Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics and Terry Rozier to the Charlotte Hornets, according to Wojnarowski.
Sources: Boston's showing interest in a 3-team sign-and-trade w/ Kyrie Irving (Nets), Kemba Walker (Celtics) and Terry Rozier (Hornets). Boston wants to create a full MLE and would likely need to surrender at least a first-round pick to Nets. So far, talks are exploratory.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
The one advantage the Nets would gain in a sign-and-trade arrangement involving Russell is that is would open up a significant Trade Exception that could be used to fill out the rest of the roster.
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In any event, for better or worse, the Brooklyn Nets are shopping in the high-end stores now.