Brooklyn Nets: D’Angelo Russell for Kevin Durant? Yes, it’s real
By Phil Watson
The Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors have reportedly agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that will send D’Angelo Russell to the Bay for Kevin Durant.
According to multiple reports, Kevin Durant will be traded to the Brooklyn Nets, with D’Angelo Russell and two other players headed to the Golden State Warriors in what will turn out to be a two-way sign-and-trade arrangement.
Because, you know, the first six hours of NBA free agency weren’t quite bananas enough.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the deal was done shortly after Shams Charania of The Athletic said there were serious discussions under way.
Golden State and Brooklyn have agreed on a sign-and-trade, sending D’Angelo Russell to the Warriors on a four-year, $117M maximum contract, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
According to Charania, Russell will head to Golden State along with Shabazz Napier and Treveon Graham, both of whom have non-guaranteed contracts for next season.
In return, the Warriors will send Durant to Brooklyn.
Because the deal will leave both teams hard-capped next season at $132 million, the Warriors had some additional housecleaning to do and cleared the necessary space by trading Andre Iguodala and a top-four protected 2024 first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies, according to Wojnarowski.
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That pick to Memphis is top-one protected in 2025 and become unprotected in 2026 if it had not already conveyed.
Russell will get the max deal he sought — four years and $117 million — from the Nets while Durant will re-sign with the Warriors for four years at less than the max $164 million. The Warriors will trade Iguodala to Memphis and then complete the dual sign-and-trade to get Russell.
The Nets will end up with Durant, who will reportedly — along with Kyrie Irving — take less than the maximum in order to allow Brooklyn to bring in DeAndre Jordan for four years and $40 million.
Russell goes to a Golden State team that in one series of moves traded away the Finals MVPs from all three of their most recent championship teams. Iguodala was the Finals MVP in 2015 and Durant won the award in both 2017 and 2018.
He also, however, has a spot in the starting unit … at least initially. Klay Thompson is expected to miss much of next season after tearing his ACL during Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
Durant is also not likely to play much, if at all, in 2019-20 after tearing his Achilles’ tendon in Game 5 of the Finals.
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But the Nets have gotten upgrades at the point guard and in the frontcourt in Irving and Jordan on Day 1 of free agency and are banking that Durant will be able to come back at the age of 32 as something at least resembling his former self.