JULY 7: Warren’s deal with the Nets is now official, the team announced. “T.J. is a proven three-level scorer with the size and versatility to make an impact for us,” said Nets general manager Sean Marks. “We think T.J. is a great fit on the wing, and we’re excited to welcome him and his family to Brooklyn.”
JULY 5: The Nets have reached a free agent agreement with forward T.J. Warren and will sign him to a one-year contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The terms of the deal aren’t yet known. Brooklyn hasn’t used its taxpayer mid-level exception yet and could offer Warren any amount between his minimum ($2.6MM) and the full taxpayer MLE ($6.5MM).
Warren, who will turn 29 in September, has averaged 15.5 PPG on .507/.357/.780 shooting in 332 regular season games since entering the NBA as the 14th overall pick in 2014. However, he has missed nearly two full seasons due to left foot problems, playing just four times in 2020/21 and then sitting out the entire ’21/22 campaign.
Reports have indicated that Warren is fully recovered heading into 2022/23, and in his last full season (’19/20) he put up 19.8 PPG with a .536/.403/.819 shooting line, making him an intriguing flier in free agency this offseason. He’ll likely have to shake off some rust, but if he’s back to 100%, he’s an explosive scorer capable of creating matchup problems for opposing defenses.
It’s unclear what Warren’s role will look like in Brooklyn, where the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving situations remain very much in flux. His place on the depth chart will hinge on whether Durant is moved and what the Nets get back in any deal for the former MVP.
The Nets have now made deals this summer to add both scoring and defense on the wing, having also acquired forward Royce O’Neale from Utah in exchange for a first-round pick.
Warren began the offseason as the No. 50 free agent on our top-50 list and moved up to No. 46 after a few players exercised options.
Opportunostic move by Warren plenty of chances to score on this team
Probably the only reason he went there. Bout to the the only man left standing.
Not who I would have expected to sign him, but they could use the scoring at the 4 off the bench…they lost a lot of the defenders they had/didnt use last year, so I would expect them to do something at that end. Obviously they have the KD situation, but I still think they’re building an interesting roster. They do need to address that defense though. Maybe they bring back James Johnson or Millsap themselves, and they could use a depth big that can defend pick and role, and protect the rim
Kyrie, Harris, O’neal, KD, Simmons
Warren, Claxton, Curry, Duke
is what the current rotation looks like, but obviously bringing in another versatile defensive option at the 4 like I mentioned, the depth 5, and probably another guard/wing that can playmake/defend could really round it out, and then they have some depth pieces like Cam Thomas to fill in for Kyrie as a scorer when he decides not to show up
I’ve said I personally wpuldnt trade KD right now, even though he asked for it, and I think they can still put together a roster with a chance to be really good. They do need help in those spots though
He will start if he can play.
Nets don’t really have a choice being as they traded every pick they had trying to build around KD. Sure they dont have to trade KD or Kyrie but they would almost certainly sit out the season or seasons if the Nets try and hold a contract over his head. If that happens then Nets finish worst in the league and send high lottery picks to Houston year after year. Nets best option is to sell high while you can and try to put together a play in team and coast for a couple years. They tried and it failed. Time to pay the piper
Kevin durant isnt the type of person to sit out, in my opinion. I dont see anything in his character/past that would tell you he would do something like that. Dude ultimately wants to play basketball, whereas Kyrie Irving doesnt seem to like basketball at all, and KD is also looking to put himself in a certain place in history, and you have to play to do that.
More evidence that Brooklyn is trying to compete next year.
Seems like that, doesn’t it. Maybe they figure that if Simmons is healthy and on the court, along with the most likely player coming back in a Kyrie trade being Westbrook, they might as well try to be competitive. If they get an established All Star type player for Durant (ie. Siakim, Ayton, etc.) and more building blocks, they can be a playoff team in the East next year. Really, Harris and Curry are nice pieces, O’Neal’s a good add and Warren is a decent flyer to take. Those along with a couple of established players from the Durant/Westbrook, the begins of the rotation aren’t horrible.
It does seem like they’re going to try. There’s always a possibility that KD and Kyrie come back. KD has made it clear to those who know him that any team he joins has to have at least two other all-star level players. Since other teams would have to give up top talent to get him, he might find out that staying in Brooklyn and convincing Kyrie to do the same is the best situation for him.
If KD stays, Warren is a scorer off the bench. If he gets traded, Warren either gives them some scoring at the 4 as a starter, or if they get pieces back that would start there, he still gives them that scoring off the bench, which makes sense b/c you would have to assume they’re getting back 2 way type of players in a deal for KD…or depending on who they get back, Simmons probably starts at the 4
Or they could be planning to have him as a nice trade piece to get another first
Wonder does this mean KD and Kyrie will stay? This a win now move.
Signing O’Neale and Warren doesn’t mean that they’re keeping KD and Kyrie. It means that, even after trading those two, they want to be good enough for a play-in spot, at least.
Remember that they owe all their own picks to the Rockets until 2027 (some by swap but still). They don’t wanna go through the Garnett/Pierce nightmare again, when they were bad and had to see the Celtics take Brown and Tatum with their picks (even Sexton went to the Cavs with their pick).
They shouldn’t have let Brouce Brown leave for a measly 6 and hald million per year. If you have a guys Birds Right then why not use them. He was there GPII last year.
In less than 1 year the Nets will have traded Harden, Kyrie, Simmons, and KD.
Call up Indy, swap Simmons for Buddy Nd a future 1st Top-20 protected turns into 2 2nds. Great tax benefit for the Nets right off the bat.
Kyrie and Harris to the Lakers for Westbrook and THT.
Curry to the Sixers for Thybulle and Korkmaz.
KD to the Knicks for 7 1st round picks, Fournier or Randle take your pick, D Rose, Quickley, and Reddish.
Money works. Compensation works. Do it.
If only they could just do that without having to worry about the other team agreeing to it. The Lakers have already said they would rather have Curry over Harris. And I doubt the Sixers would want Harris for that package. The Pacers, nor anyone else, is going to give up anything for Simmons until he proves he can play again.
I’m not sure Hield has a terrible amount of value either tho. Simmons for a late 1st is probably enough for talent starved Indiana to at least consider it.
Kyrie to LAL seems inevitable in some form unless Cuban is feeling frisky
And if KD ends up in Manhattan with the Knicks luck he’ll tear his ACL again in October
This is just posturing. Indy has wanted Simmons for a while, valuing defense and bringing in talent via trade bc they can’t sign anyone bc Indy isn’t a destination.
The Sixers trade honestly could or could not happen in this scenario and no sweat. Sixers would take Royce if he’s available too. But won’t take Harris.
And as Marky, (or is it Sharon? I hope it’s not Bobby) suggested, Buddy is a meh value dude in his own right. But significantly cheaper than Simmons.
Get rid of Kyrie and convince Durant to stay.Kyrie is poison get him away from KD.
How would you even convince KD to stay?
Brick, Simmons, Harris or Curry, Oneale, Warren, Claxton, THT.
He isn’t winning a that.
He wants to play w Booker and CP3 or The better Curry.
It no longer matter who KD wants to play for anymore. He has a signed contract. If he holds out with Brooklyn or with a team he is traded to he could essentially end his career, or at least the last couple of good years he has left.
Looks to me like Brooklyn is planning on Kyrie and KD to both be back. TJ Warren is scoring depth off the bench. I imagine Westbrook just poured some Jack Daniels to go along with the stick he is gonna light to celebrate staying home in L.A. even though he gonna be coming off the bench.
BKN wasn’t ever going to go tank, at least in the Philly/OKC way. Marks is a basketball man, not some 2k clown. Now that he’s no longer compelled to placate the likes of KD/KI/JH, he’ll get back to doing what basketball men do, go about building his team.
The KD and KI (potential) trades are to come, but he can’t just put everything in deep freeze until they happen. He’s not operating totally in the dark. He knows the likely timeline and what he’s going to insist upon in those trades (since he’s holding enough cards to make it happen). O’Neal is a 3&D guy who fits on any team. Warren is a flyer, because of injuries, can also be a fit on almost any team. If these other moves say anything about KD and KI it’s that deals aren’t close.
Yup, nor do they really need to be from Mark’s position (the only one that matters)
Gotta get 100 on KD, Lakers are in the back pocket along with any other team interested in KL. I think they could be shopping BS as well currently to at least get a gauge
It could be a good good while. You’d think it be a good time for Indy SAS Det to dominate what’s left of free agency.
Apparently they feel settled or just aren’t getting the player interest from the other side which is questionable b/c there’s not may 8 figure salary slots left even inc the full MLE leaguewide
KD return with Ben on the wing. Makes this Nets team. Still a playoff team. I still say best offer is. Ayton, Bridges.
Add Warren as a bench scorer. They still can be a good team imo. It’s what they’ll get for Kyrie. That’s a mystery.
Warren is a good signing. He has the yr to prove he can still play. Should be healed by now.
Bit surprised a team with open cap/timeline like SAS and Indy didn’t offer him a 1+1 or 2+ 1 with team options at the end
Maybe Indys burnt on him but made a lotta sense for SAS ….Maybe SAS’s looking looking to hit singles with the OKC dumps w the cap route