SATURDAY, 8:11am: While two reports have shot down the Nets' potential interest in Collins, a source confirmed to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News that the club has discussed signing the center, despite not really having a need for another big man.
FRIDAY, 7:34pm: Tim Bontemps of the New York Post also hears the Nets have no interest in signing Collins, backing up Broussard's report (below). In addition, Wojnarowski's story appears to have been updated to reflect that the team may not be as interested in Collins as it had been now that Reggie Evans is no longer a part of Brooklyn's mega-deal with the Celtics.
1:55pm: The Nets also have interest in signing free agent sharpshooter Kyle Korver, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. It's unlikely that Korver would sign for the minimum, but perhaps the Nets could lure him to Brooklyn with their $3.18MM mini mid-level exception.
Of course, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter), the Nets will be so far in the tax next season that a $3MM mid-level player could end up costing the team in the neighborhood of $15MM in total.
Meanwhile, a source tells ESPN.com's Chris Broussard that it's "very doubtful" the Nets sign Collins (Twitter link).
12:58pm: Now that they've reached an agreement with the Celtics to acquire Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry, the Nets are looking to fill out their roster with minimum-salary veterans to avoid increasing their tax bill even more. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, one target for a bench spot in Brooklyn will be free agent big man Jason Collins.
Collins, 34, has a history with new head coach Jason Kidd and new assistant Lawrence Frank, as Kidd and Collins were teammates on Frank's Nets teams several years ago. Wojnarowski writes that there's reason to believe Collins would have a "strong comfort level" in returning into an organization that knows him well and values his defense and his tough style of play.
The Celtics had Collins on their roster for part of the 2012/13 season before sending him to Washington in a deadline trade, so Garnett, Pierce, and Terry are former teammates of the veteran center as well. According to Wojnarowski, KG was "extremely frustrated" when Collins was dealt to the Wizards in February.
Collins made public his sexuality earlier this year, making him the first openly gay male athlete in a major North American sport. The announcement came after the regular season ended, so Collins didn't technically become the NBA's first active gay player, but he could earn that distinction if he ends up signing with Brooklyn this summer.
Boston should offer Collins a deal again. Played well for them.
BK don’t care about money… They’re like at $150M already with payroll and tax.