JUNE 30: The Nets and Irving have agreed to a four-year, $140,790,600 deal, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. According to Charania, it includes a fourth-year player option.
[UPDATE: Irving will accept less than the max to accommodate a $40MM deal for DeAndre Jordan]
JUNE 29: The Nets and free agent point guard Kyrie Irving are set to meet in New York on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are motivated to quickly agree to terms on a four-year, maximum-salary contract worth a projected $141MM.
Once Irving commits to the Nets, the team is expected to renounce restricted free agent D’Angelo Russell, allowing him to become unrestricted, league sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). However, Brooklyn is also willing to work with Russell and his reps to help him get to the destination of his choice, and may not renounce his rights if there’s a sign-and-trade deal that appeals to the Nets, Woj adds (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Lakers reach out to Russell]
Whether or not Russell’s cap hold remains on their books, the Nets will have the room necessary to sign Irving outright. Renouncing Russell – or trading him without taking back any salary – would give the club the room to sign another max-level player to join Kyrie.
It has been a roller coaster year for Irving, who said during a preseason team event with the Celtics that he intended to re-sign with Boston at season’s end. A frustrating season with the C’s made him re-think that stance, and rumors in recent months suggested that he might be eyeing a move to the Knicks. However, within the last month, multiple reports indicated that it was New York’s other team, the Nets, that Irving was focused on joining.
Irving will be moving from one Atlantic playoff team to another after earning All-NBA Second Team honors with the Celtics this past season. He averaged 23.8 PPG and a career-high 6.9 APG and 5.0 RPG with impressive efficiency numbers (.487/.401/.873 shooting). However, locker-room and chemistry issues, as well as a disappointing second-round exit in the postseason, soured his second and final year in Boston.
The Celtics have already lined up a replacement for Irving, as All-NBA Third Team guard Kemba Walker reportedly plans to agree to terms on a four-year, maximum-salary deal with Boston once free agency officially begins on Sunday.
As Boston swaps one All-NBA point guard for another, the Nets will do the same with a pair of All-Star point guards, replacing Russell with Irving. While Russell had an impressive breakout season in Brooklyn in 2018/19, the Nets’ willingness to invest big money in Irving reflects the team’s belief that the former Cavalier and Celtic is the more dynamic play-maker and scorer.
Once they secure a commitment from Irving, the Nets are expected to pursue his good friend Kevin Durant. They’d need to make at least one more roster move to open up the room necessary to land Durant, since his maximum salary projects to be about $5.5MM higher than Kyrie’s due to his 10+ years of NBA experience.
If the Nets can’t land Durant, they’ll have plenty of other options on the free agent market. Tobias Harris is one name that has been frequently linked to Brooklyn.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
nets are not even making the playoffs bad move but I guess it is the nets. boston always knows how to screw them over
They made it to the playoffs last year.
Could not agree more. All the good work Sean marks has done will go to waste. Very surprised he would go in this direction.
So if Leonard doesn’t come to the Lakers its welcome home DLo.
I thought they said they’d sign lower level guys to fill out the roster if they can’t get Kawhi or Kyrie? Dlo is definitely an intriguing option though.
They still can, dlo wont require a max contract somewhere between 20-27 million per and lakers are looking into beverly right now.
Careful what you ask for, Brooklyn. Irving has 35-year-old legs.
His cross-over is still the best in the game. But I hear what you’re saying. He wouldn’t be at the top of my list, and not sure if I’d have taken him over DLo at this point in time.
And a 14 year-old cranium
With this he’s sealing his fate. He will never win a championship while on this team.
He would never do that in Boston… so is just a lateral move, neither up or down, right?
Why would any team who wants DLo make a sign and trade when they can just wait until they renounce him? Why give up assets for a guy you can get for free.
Max contract that the ‘player’ wants in order to be happy and sign.
It really only makes sense for a team over the cap but under the tax for a s&t. That team couldn’t sign him outright but they could trade for him, especially if they can get rid of some other salaries. In regards to Minnesota (who’s over the cap at $115MM for 7 players, Culver’s cap hold and 4 empty roster charges), the Nets would only be interested in future draft picks and young players like Okogie and Diop. Minn would need to trade Teague, Dieng or Wiggins to another team to pay DLo more than $17MM and stay comfortably under the tax.
Because you could get rid of a guaranteed contract of a player that might be playing the same position as your new signee.
But that takes away from their cap space, which they need right now.
He didn’t ask why would the Nets do it. He asked why would the other team give up assets instead of just signing him for free.
I guess Brooklyn felt almost “forced” to go sign him (Kryie’s management changes and all that…) but it’s a questionable move…Unless they get KD of course.
The Nets seem like a class orginization. Instead of maybe just sending Russell out the door, they are willing to try to help him land where he wants via trade, if possible. Maybe, just maybe, this is the kind of orginization that can soothe Irving’s issues, give him some peace, and just let him play.
Based on Irving’s track record, I’d say the issues are self-created. Same guy who thinks the Earth is flat.
Helping him would mean renouncing him as soon as KI signs, so he’d be a UFA vs RFA. That would give him the freedom to go anywhere with cap space, and would not affect their ability to help him with a S&T if the team didn’t have cap space.
Seems like if KD doesnt want to come back to the Warriors this would set up a perfect double sign and trade with KD for Russell. Probably need a third team involved to get the dollars to match, but KD/Russell each get and extra year and a good destination. GS gets some cap space since they could also flip Russell to another team if he wants for a more simple fit to replace KD/KT this season.
I think both teams would benefit and the players as well if KD decides that NJ(oh wait) is his preferred destination. Obviously if GS is where he wants to be he gets paid more and they are probably better from 2020 on, although this deal could give GS some interesting value and open up some options for the team.
Neither gets an extra year. You’re two CBAs behind. Nets have no reason to do it, and be hard capped, without at least a 1st included. Not sure the Warriors would want to spend 100 mm on another guard (with tax, that’s about what Russell would cost).
I mean its probably a three team deal anyways since I was thinking Russell is one of the few star FA thats not quite ideal. He could be a reasonable fill in for KT till he is back, but I dont think PG is who theyre hunting for so it would be Durant to NYN Russell to his destination someone else back to GS from the team getting Russell. Or just a trade exemtion for GS and a lower tier role player. Its to bad they dont just eliminate the sign and trade but give teams an extra second round pick as compensation for veteran deals, maybe add one more spot for the team to stash a player in the G league. One of the things I think MLB has thats more interesting is the larger minor leagues so a good team can draft and develop depth and talent if theyre skilled at it. I want teams to be able to draft and have time to develop more project players and build up a little more internal depth.
You don’t get the extras with a sign and trade anymore, Luke posted a whole thing about it. It’s only about cap space now.
Just a quick poll of anyone reading. Let’s say Brooklyn signs no other player and just replaces D’lo with Kyrie. Are they better in 19-20 than they were in 18-19? To put it another way, is Kyrie better than D’lo, in your opinion?
I say no. Brooklyn had a team that was gelling and really improving and they are basically throwing all that work away for name players that may or may not fit.
Yeah they are better DLO had a nice year, Kyrie is a consistent All NBA player. Kyrie has some injury issues, but so has DLO. Kyrie has had some issues acting out but DLO had them in LA. I think a good culture will do wonders for Kyrie and if they can get Durant they will be a top four team in 20/21 assigning Durant misses a whole year.
D’lo wasn’t the one jelling the team. They were also going good with Levert as their main gunner. It doesn’t matter who the main gunner is, as long as they keep it up in the playoffs, which Russell did not. Levert looked better, is better, and the glue guys Dinwiddie & Dudley are more crucial. Of course everything is different now with KI & KD.
They need help defensively at the 3/4 besides Taurean Prince after losing RHJ and Demarre Carroll. Randle at the 5 also makes a lot of sense
For some reason, I forgot Caris Lavert existed. They also have trevon Graham, which I also forgot. Expecting improvement from Kurucs and Musa could also help their needs
Yeah they kind of have enough change already… KI, KD, DJordan, TPrince, GTemple, NClaxton in. If they lose Dudley, a physical stretch 4, he needs replaced. Better yet don’t lose him.
Cryree the Cancer. Nets had a good thing going.