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Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, Projected Nets Lineup Post-FA Deals
June 30, 2019
The Brooklyn Nets have hit the free-agent jackpot with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan reportedly set to join the organization.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on Sunday. He added Durant will receive $164 million over four years, while Irving will get $141 million for four years.
In addition to that trio, the Nets are also expected to sign Garrett Temple to a two-year deal worth $10 million, per The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears.
Here is what Brooklyn's roster for next season looks like:
Point Guards: Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Shabazz Napier, Jaylen Hands
Shooting Guards: Joe Harris, Garrett Temple, Caris LeVert, Treveon Graham, Dzanan Musa
Small Forwards: Kevin Durant, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs
Power Forwards: Nicolas Claxton
Centers: DeAndre Jordan, Jarrett Allen
One thing that seems like a guarantee with this new-look Nets team is they will be able to shoot as well as anyone in the NBA.
With Durant expected to miss all of next season recovering from surgery on his ruptured Achilles, Brooklyn's agreement to acquire Taurean Prince from the Atlanta Hawks for Allen Crabbe and two draft picks looks even better.
No one will confuse what Prince does on the court for Durant, but the 25-year-old is hardly an insignificant piece. He has averaged 13.9 points per game while shooting 38.7 percent from three-point range since the start of the 2017-18 season.
Prince will be able to hold things down in the starting lineup next season with restricted free agency waiting for him next summer.
The Nets also figure to have tremendous depth in the backcourt with all of these expected additions. Irving has shot over 40 percent from three-point range in each of the previous three seasons and averaged a career-high 6.9 assists in 2018-19 with the Boston Celtics.
Joe Harris led the NBA with a 47.4 three-point percentage last season, and that was on a career-high 386 attempts from behind the arc.
There were times last season when Caris LeVert looked like Brooklyn's best player. After missing 41 games with a dislocated right foot, the 24-year-old got back on track in the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers with 21.0 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting in the series
Spencer Dinwiddie should have no problems playing behind Irving after coming off the bench most of last season with D'Angelo Russell in front of him. The California native averaged a career high 16.8 points per game despite playing just 28.1 minutes per contest.
Even though the traditional back-to-the-rim center isn't as valuable as it once was in the NBA, Jordan is still an excellent asset because of his rebounding and defensive skills. He was worth 3.1 defensive win shares in just 69 games last season.
The only Nets player who had more defensive win shares than Jordan in 2018-19 was Jarrett Allen. Head coach Kenny Atkinson will have to decide how he wants to split the minutes between those two, but Allen's age (21) and upside could make him a safer bet to remain in the starting lineup.
Even with Durant's debut with Brooklyn likely delayed until the start of the 2020-21 campaign, there is so much talent on the roster that it's difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Nets don't end up as one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference next season.