Brooklyn Nets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Notes: Durant, Nash, Irving, Curry, Warren, Simmons

September 26th, 2022 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Addressing reporters at the Nets‘ media day on Monday, Kevin Durant explained that he requested a trade this offseason because he had some “doubts” about whether the Nets were building a legitimate championship culture (Twitter link via Tania Ganguli of The New York Times).

“I wanted everybody to be held accountable for their habits as a basketball player,” Durant said, per Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. “I think a lot of stuff was getting swept under the rug because we’re injured or this guy’s not around or just the circumstances. I thought we could have fought through that a little bit more and focused on the guys that were here a little bit more.

“When I went out with the injury, we lost 10 in a row. And I’m like, ‘We shouldn’t be losing some of these games that we lost, regardless of who’s on the floor.’ So I was more so worried about how we’re approaching every day as a basketball team. And I felt like we could have fought through a lot of the stuff that I felt that held us back.”

Durant said he wasn’t disappointed not to be dealt and that he’s committed to the Nets going forward (Twitter links via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic and Adam Zagoria of NJ.com). He also admitted that he wasn’t surprised to remain a Net, since general manager Sean Marks and the team’s front office set a sky-high asking price.

“I know I’m that good, that you’re just not going to give me away,” Durant said.

In his own media session, Marks said that he feels good about where things stand with Durant, adding that if the star forward “still wanted out, he wouldn’t be here” (Twitter link via Vorkunov). He also said the Nets made a legitimate effort to trade Durant, though he admitted he was fielding outside inquiries more than he was instigating discussions.

“Yeah, absolutely we made those calls and we at least picked up the phone when teams called us,” Marks told YES Network (Twitter link via Zagoria). “I gotta be honest, I wasn’t making a whole lot of outgoing calls, I mean why would you do that?”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Steve Nash downplayed the fact that Durant reportedly called for the head coach’s job as part of his ultimatum to the Nets, likening it to a family squabble and telling reporters that he and KD got together to talk it out (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
Kyrie Irving, who referred to Brooklyn’s summer as a “clusterf–k,” said he came close to leaving the Nets before picking up his player option, adding that he had some other options, but “not many,” Sanchez writes for The Post. Irving admitted that potential suitors had concerns about his availability and his commitment.
Interestingly, Irving stated that his decision to remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 cost him a lucrative long-term extension offer from the Nets during the 2021 offseason. “I gave up four years, $100-something million deciding to be unvaccinated, and that was the decision,” Irving said, per Sanchez.
A pair of Nets wings are still awaiting full clearance following injuries, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter links). Seth Curry, who underwent ankle surgery in May, said today that he’s at “85-90 percent” and isn’t fully cleared to participate in camp. Meanwhile, T.J. Warren said the foot injury that cost him all of the 2021/22 season is fully healed, but he still needs to do more rehab work to get cleared by team doctors.
Ben Simmons is “ready to go” and will be a full participant in training camp, he said today (Twitter link via Friedell). As long as he remains healthy through the preseason, the plan is for the former No. 1 overall pick to be on the floor when the Nets’ season begins, tweets Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Simmons also said he’s willing to play center for his new team (Twitter link via Zagoria).

Nets Sign Marcus Zegarowski

September 25th, 2022 at 6:25pm CST by JD Shaw

The Nets have signed guard Marcus Zegarowski, who was drafted with the No. 49 overall pick in 2021, the team announced today in a press release. The terms of the agreement weren’t released. Brooklyn also signed and waived Zegarowski roughly one week ago.

Zegarowski, 24, played 92 games across three collegiate seasons at Creighton leading up to the 2021 draft. He averaged 14.1 points per game, shooting 47% from the floor, 42% from three-point range and 77% from the free throw line.

Zegarowski played with the Nets’ G League affiliate in 2021/22. The 6’2″ guard appeared in eight games, averaging 10.1 points per contest. He shot just 36% during those outings.

We’ll have to wait for clarity on Zegarowski’s situation, but the first contract he signed this offseason was likely his required tender, a non-guaranteed contract the Nets had to offer in order to retain his draft rights. By waiving Zegarowski after he signed that tender, Brooklyn gave up his draft rights. Bringing him back now suggests he may still be in the team’s plans as an affiliate player at Long Island.

Brooklyn has 19 players under contract entering training camp, which includes the team’s two-way players, Alondes Williams and David Duke.

Examining How Donovan Williams Won Over Nets

September 24th, 2022 at 4:04pm CST by JD Shaw

Brian Lewis of the New York Post examines how rookie Donovan Williams won over the Nets. Brooklyn agreed to sign Williams to an Exhibit 10 contract after the draft. He averaged 12.7 points at UNLV last season, shooting 44% from downtown.

Ben Simmons Felt Lack Of Support From Sixers

September 23rd, 2022 at 10:17am CST by Arthur Hill

Ben Simmons talked candidly about his experiences with the Sixers during an appearance on JJ Redick’s podcast that was released on Thursday. Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer shares some of the highlights of the interview, including what Simmons believes was a lack of understanding from the organization about his mental state.

“I was in such a bad place where I was like, [expletive], I’m trying to get here and you guys are, like, throwing all these other things at me to where you’re not helping,” he said. “And that’s all I wanted was help. I didn’t feel like I got it from coaches, teammates — I won’t say all teammates, because there’s great guys on that team that did reach out and are still my friends — but I didn’t feel like I got that, and it was just a tough place for me.”

The podcast marks Simmons’ first public statements since asking the Sixers for a trade last summer, other than his press conference after being dealt to the Nets in February. Physical and psychological issues prevented Simmons from playing for Philadelphia again, and persistent back pain kept him from taking the court for Brooklyn after the trade.

Simmons announced a holdout before the start of last year’s training camp, but he eventually returned to the team for two practices. His relationship with the Sixers soured even further after coach Doc Rivers kicked him out of the second practice, but Simmons insists he was “trying to do the right thing” and wasn’t mentally prepared to play.

“I actually spoke to Doc before [the practice I was kicked out],” Simmons said. “I was like, ‘Doc, I’m not ready. Mentally, I’m not ready. Please, just understand that.’ I tried to let him know prior, and he was like, ‘Well, I’m going to put you in, anyway.’ I’m like, ‘All right.’ He told me to get in. I looked at him. It was like one minute into practice, like, ‘Ben, get in.’

Simmons also addressed a few other controversies, including his decision to pass rather than dunk on a critical play in his last game in Philadelphia vs. Atlanta (he admits it was a mistake, but explains what he was seeing in the moment) and media reports that he had a cell phone in his pocket during his only full practice last fall (he says it was a rolled-up jersey).

He talked about the fines the Sixers levied against him in the wake of his holdout, saying his mental condition was more important than financial concerns, and said the team didn’t do enough to reach out to him before making plans to fly a contingent to Los Angeles in an effort to resolve the dispute.

Simmons also expressed optimism about a fresh start with the Nets, saying New York City is an ideal spot to wind up after all the turmoil in Philadelphia.

“I literally did not care about who was getting traded for who,” Simmons said. “In that moment, I actually broke down. I had to have a moment by myself, because I was sitting in the office. I had family around and time was going down, and then it happened. It was just a shock, because I spent six years in Philly. I have friends there. Now you’re telling me I’m going to New York. My family’s there, too. It was very emotional for me all at once. I had to just sit down and gather myself.”

Nets Sign, Waive RaiQuan Gray

September 23rd, 2022 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets signed and then waived 2021 second-round pick RaiQuan Gray, according to the official transaction log at RealGM.com.

The No. 59 overall pick in last year’s draft out of Florida State, Gray signed a G League contract and spent his first professional season with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s affiliate. In 26 regular season NBAGL games (22.8 MPG), the 6’8″ forward averaged 6.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG on .441/.240/.821 shooting.

The Nets still held Gray’s exclusive NBA rights entering this offseason. However, teams are required to submit a tender – essentially a non-guaranteed one-year contract – to players whose draft rights they hold in order to retain those rights. It appears that Gray signed that tender and then was waived by Brooklyn, freeing him up to seek new opportunities.

This is essentially the same thing that happened with another Nets second-rounder, Marcus Zegarowski, earlier this week. Zegarowski is now an unrestricted free agent and Gray will join him on the open market, assuming he clears waivers on Saturday. There’s no indication that either player received an Exhibit 10 contract from Brooklyn, so I wouldn’t count on them returning to Long Island in 2022/23.

The Nets still have 18 players under contract with training camp around the corner, including 12 on guaranteed salaries, four on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals, and a pair on two-way contracts.

T.J. Warren Could Provide Scoring Punch For Reserves

September 21st, 2022 at 8:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

T.J. Warren could be the Nets‘ leading scorer off the bench if he can overcome the foot problems that have plagued him for the past two seasons, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic writes in an overview of Brooklyn’s roster. Warren averaged 19.8 points per game and shot 40.3% from three-point range during his last healthy season. Schiffer believes the team is strong everywhere but center, and he points to Dwight Howard as a potential low-cost addition who could provide experience in the middle.

Nets Hoping Depth Helps Overcome Volatility

September 21st, 2022 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have quietly constructed a roster that is deeper and more talented – especially on the wing – than any of the other iterations of the club since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving arrived in 2019, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. However, Vardon cautions that the volatility of the team’s stars and the strength of the Eastern Conference may complicate Brooklyn’s efforts to seriously contend for a title.

Irving Says Team Needed To Be Humbled

September 19th, 2022 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kyrie Irving sees a silver lining in the sour way the Nets’ season ended. Irving said on the “Nets Kingdom” podcast that Brooklyn “needed” to go through the embarrassment of getting swept in the playoffs (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports).

“It was meant to happen like that. Motivation, bro,” the Nets guard said. “We needed that humbling experience, especially going against the Celtics. It was already built to be that matchup. We’re going to see them again.”

Nets Sign, Waive Marcus Zegarowski

September 19th, 2022 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets signed former second-round pick Marcus Zegarowski to a contract on Friday and waived him on Saturday, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log.

The No. 49 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Zegarowski signed a G League deal last offseason and spent his first professional season playing for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate. The 6’1″ guard, a former Creighton standout, averaged 11.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.4 APG with an underwhelming .351/.331/.650 shooting line in 21 total NBAGL appearances between the regular season and the Showcase Cup.

Brooklyn still held Zegarowski’s NBA rights entering the 2022/23 league year, but the decision to sign and waive him is an indication that he’s no longer in the team’s plans. If and when he clears waivers on Monday, he’ll be free to sign with any other NBA club.

The terms of the contract Zegarowski signed aren’t known, but it wasn’t an Exhibit 10 deal, since they don’t show up in NBA.com’s log. It was presumably a non-guaranteed contract, with the lack of an Exhibit 10 clause signaling that the Nets probably don’t plan on having him back in Long Island in 2022/23.

As NetsDaily tweets, the sign-and-waive maneuver was likely a procedural move freeing up the 24-year-old to seek an opportunity elsewhere.

Eastern Notes: Sumner, Nets, Morris, Westbrook, Heat, Celtics

September 18th, 2022 at 10:16pm CST by JD Shaw

Four-year NBA veteran Edmond Sumner is planning to bring grit to the Nets this season, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Sumner signed with Brooklyn in free agency this offseason.

At 6’6″, the 26-year-old established himself as a valuable rotation player before tearing his Achilles’ last year. He averaged 7.5 points per game with the Pacers in 2020/21, shooting 40% from deep in 53 contests.

“He just doesn’t miss days, he doesn’t skip workouts,” Sumner’s trainer, Mike Robertson, said. “That’s a testament to who he is and the kind of guy that you’re getting there. He’s just a great human being. He’s going to punch the clock, he’s going to continue to not just work hard for himself but to lift the others up around him. And he’s just a world-class human being. [Nets fans] are going to love him.”

Here are some other notes from the Eastern Conference:

Nets owner Joe Tsai made a personal recruiting pitch to Markieff Morris before Brooklyn signed him, Marc Stein writes for Substack. Morris is expected to provide the Nets with frontcourt depth and could play small-ball five at times. He dealt with a neck injury after an altercation with Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic last season, playing only 17 games with Miami.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel examines whether the Heat could have interest in Russell Westbrook in the event that he’s eventually bought out by the Lakers or another team. While Westbrook’s future with Los Angeles is unclear, he may not be a stellar fit alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. The 33-year-old is currently on track to reach free agency next summer.
Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com explores a number of Celtics-related topics in his latest mailbag, including Jaylen Brown‘s ball-handling. Brown struggled to take care of the ball at times last season, averaging 3.5 assists and 3.1 turnovers per game during the postseason. He still held respectable playoff averages of 23.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest, shooting 47% from the floor.