The Brooklyn Nets NBA free agency live tracker is here to cover all the important news: the latest on Kyrie Irving and who he’s bringing.
What a long strange trip it’s been for the Brooklyn Nets. It started with the infamous Billy King trade that gutted the franchise’s future to acquire an aging Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics.
However, the Nets have made a remarkable turnaround under the leadership of general manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson. Ironically enough, the Nets are about to sign Boston’s best player—Kyrie Irving.
The superstar point guard’s imminent signing has been rumored and reported for weeks and it’s about to become reality. That means D’Angelo Russell‘s tenure with the Nets is all but over, but the Nets still have some leverage.
Whether or not Irving can convince a second star to join him in Brooklyn is the biggest question left for the Nets to answer. The Nets are undoubtedly a better squad with Irving supplanting Russell.
However, Irving won’t be the only superstar on his way to Brooklyn. The Nets are assembling a two-headed monster with Kevin Durant and Irving.
The Nets will also need to round out their edges with a stretch four and some bench depth. This offseason is all about stars, but expect the Nets to try and improve all aspects of the roster.
Kyrie Irving (acquired per sources)
The Brooklyn Nets moved quickly on acquiring Kyrie Irving and with a flurry of tweets from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it became clear that Irving was a package deal with Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan. The dream scenario came true for Brooklyn.
D’Angelo Russell (sign-and-trade to Golden State Warriors per sources)
What a long strange trip it’s been for D’Angelo Russell? He was a sweetener in a salary dump, but developed into an All-Star with the Nets. However, the Nets couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to bring in Irving, Durant, and Jordan.
Surprisingly, the Golden State Warriors put on the full-court press for Russell. The Nets, doing right by Russell, agreed to send him, along with Shabazz Napier and Treveon Graham, to the Warriors.
Kevin Durant (acquired per sources)
Once seen as the most highly-coveted free agent of the 2019 class, Kevin Durant‘s ruptured Achilles changed everything. However, the injury did not scare the Nets away.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Nets and Durant are agreed to a four-year, $164 million contract.
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard is the last big fish in the sea. The reigning NBA Finals MVP is taking his time with his decision. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Leonard will ramp up his free agent process over the next few days. Unlike the rest of the 2019 free agent class, Leonard appears to be in no rush to make a move.
The Nets chose to forego the chance to sign Leonard when they brought in Irving and Durant. Leonard is incredible, but no one should be complaining about the way free agency turned out.
Tobias Harris (re-signing with Philadelphia 76ers per sources)
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the 76ers and Tobias Harris have agreed to a five-year, $180 million deal.
After inking Durant and Irving to max contracts, there was no room for Harris to make a return to his home state of New York.
Jimmy Butler (sign-and-trade to Miami Heat per sources)
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Nets were interested in Jimmy Butler. However, Butler is expected to tell the Heat that he wants to play in Miami next season according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. The only way Butler could land in Miami is via a sign-and-trade facilitated by the Sixers.
DeAndre Jordan (acquired per sources)
According to Wojnarowski of ESPN, DeAndre Jordan will be joining Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets.
Justin Holiday
The Nets will also have Justin Holiday “on their radar” per Scotto. The 30-year-old was traded from the Chicago Bulls to the Memphis Grizzlies midseason. Ian Begley of SNY notes that Holiday should have multiple suitors on the open market, including the Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings.
Quinn Cook
The Golden State Warriors guard is still a restricted free agent, but Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype reports that Cook is receiving interest from the Nets, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, and Dallas Mavericks.
Iman Shumpert
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, Kyrie Irving is checking in on Iman Shumpert’s interest level in Brooklyn. Irving and Shumpert won a championship together with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
Garrett Temple (acquired per sources)
The Brooklyn Nets and Temple have agreed to a two-year deal worth $10 million per Marc J. Spears of ESPN. The nine-year NBA veteran could be a nice depth piece and locker room presence for Brooklyn.
Al-Farouq Aminu
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Al-Farouq Aminu has agreed to a three-year deal worth $29 million to play for the Orlando Magic. He has a player option on the third year.
Updated as of 11 a.m. ET on July 1.
