NBA News: Brooklyn Nets Land New ‘Big Three’ Of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, And DeAndre Jordan
It’s almost official — the Brooklyn Nets now have a new Big Three.
With one hour until the official start of NBA free agency, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Nets were signing Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan. The report noted that Durant would be signing a four-year, $164 million deal while Irving is signing for four years and $141 million. The terms for Jordan were not yet reported.
Durant had been long-rumored to be joining the New York Knicks, but the Nets emerged as a frontrunner in the final days and appeared to unveil a plan to land both Durant and his close friend, Kyrie Irving. Durant had already declined his $31.5 million player option with the Golden State Warriors in June, sending him into unrestricted free agency.
As the ESPN report noted, Durant had considered a number of options that included re-signing with the Warriors.
“Leading up to free agency, Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman had been in New York, where they mulled the star forward’s free-agency options,” the report noted.
“Durant had been considering a number of scenarios, including a return to Golden State, while New York and the LA Clippers also were believed to be considerations beyond Brooklyn, sources had told ESPN.”
Kyrie Irving will join the Nets after initially giving indications that he would remain with the Boston Celtics throughout the season. But the team faltered and was not able to rise to the level of other Eastern Conference contenders like the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, ESPN noted, and by the season’s end, there were rumors that Irving would be seeking a new home next season.
Kevin Durant expected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets https://t.co/EaGmmokbTb pic.twitter.com/B54y3cIFlD
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 30, 2019
There were indications in the final day before NBA free agency that the Nets were moving quickly on the plan to land all three stars. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic(via Clutch Points), the team’s final piece of the puzzle was DeAndre Jordan, who was expected to join in once the deal with Durant was finalized.
Nets fans will have to wait for the Big Three to actually be on the court at the same time. Durant faces a long rehab ahead of him after tearing an Achilles in the NBA Finals, an injury that is expected to keep him out for the duration of the upcoming season.
The move is expected to become official when Kevin Durant announces his decision on the Instagram account for The Boardroom, his company’s media network.
