2019 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Kevin Durant: 4 years, $164 million (Brooklyn Nets)
Sources: Durant will sign a 4-year, $164M deal with the Nets; Irving will sign 4-years, $141M.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
What a freaking come-up for the Brooklyn Nets. It’s impossible to say this team — which once had zero assets in the form of draft picks or young talent — “won” the Paul Pierce-Kevin Garnett trade after all, but thanks to general manager Sean Marks, head coach Kenny Atkinson and the full-scale teardown that ensued from it, the Nets are now signing two of the biggest names in 2019 NBA free agency.
A deal like this comes with its fair share of risks, obviously. Kevin Durant will be 32 years old by next time he plays in a regular season game, and Achilles tears are notoriously difficult to come back from. He may never be the same.
However, the gamble is more than worth it, for the chance that he’s even 70 percent of his former self. As a two-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, one-time regular season MVP, 10-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA selection, KD would’ve been the most coveted star in this loaded free agency pool if not for the injury.
The Nets are essentially paying him to redshirt for a season, but if he can come back healthy, this team now has a multi-year title window in the easier conference. The top of the NBA ladder is wide open, and while Brooklyn won’t seriously contend until he’s back, what’s another year for a franchise on the rise that’s waited this long?
Grade: A