5 most imperative signings in 2019 NBA free agency
4. Nets agree to deals with Durant, Irving and Jordan
Few knew what to expect from the Brooklyn Nets coming into last season. However, they more than exceeded expectations, finishing with the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference en route to the team’s first postseason appearance since 2015.
The Nets even managed to give the Sixers a bit of a scare, defeating them in Game 1 of the team’s first-round playoff series before bowing out in five games.
As nice of a story as that may have been, the Nets were not content with standing pat. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, they reached on an agreement (sfour-year, $164 million deal) with Kevin Durant.
That is quite the haul, considering Durant is expected to miss next season rehabbing an Achilles injury. Brooklyn also reached on multi-year agreements with Kyrie Irving (four years, $141 million) and DeAndre Jordan (four years, $40 million) as well.
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
These moves don’t come without a risk factor, however. For starters, KD is expected to sit out the 2019-20 campaign, which essentially means the Nets are paying him for just three years of basketball. Also, there’s no guarantee on how effective he will be upon his return to the court.
Secondly, with Durant out of the rotation, the onus will be on Irving once again to lead a group of young players who had success without him in the previous season, as was the case with the Celtics in 2018-19.
While the Kyrie experiment didn’t work out in Boston, a fresh start in the area in which he grew up in may be just what he needs.
Regardless of how this plays out, the Nets deserve credit for going all in and doing so in a big way.