Sources: Brooklyn Nets to sign Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan

ESPN ^ | 06/30/2019 | Adrian Wojnarowski, NBA

[SeekAndFind]

Free-agent All-NBA star Kevin Durant plans to sign a four-year, $164 million contract to play for the Brooklyn Nets, he confirmed Sunday.

Durant will join free agents Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, who also plan to sign with the franchise. Players can officially sign their contracts starting Saturday.

Irving will sign for four years and $141 million, league sources said, while Jordan has agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal, Excel Sports agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN.

Veteran guard Garrett Temple has also agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with Brooklyn, agent Mark Bartelstein told ESPN.

The deals mark a remarkable chain of events for a franchise that general manager Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson found in disrepair less than four years ago.

Across town, the New York Knicks and owner Jim Dolan were not prepared to offer Durant a full max contract because of concerns over his recovery from the Achilles tendon injury that is likely to sideline him for all of next season, league sources told ESPN.

After ESPN reported the planned deals, Caesars Sportsbook shortened the Nets' odds to win the 2019-20 title to 18-1 from 25-1 on Sunday afternoon, following some bets on Brooklyn placed at the company's New Jersey shops, a sportsbook manager said.

Durant declined his $31.5 million player option in June, officially setting him up for unrestricted free agency. He was eligible to remain with the Golden State Warriors on a five-year, $221 million deal, or sign a four-year, $164 million deal with another team.

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. Durant had been considering a number of scenarios, including a return to Golden State, while the LA Clippers also were believed

[Mase]

That's the problem. The Garden sells out and the MSG Network flourishes so Dolan doesn't have to do anything. But Dolan is a big mouthed idiot who doesn't know the game and won't hire good people and then let them run things. Reminds me a lot of the moron who owns the Orioles.

The remodeled Garden became a nice place to see a game and I looked forward to going every once and a while. No more. Rangers had a great run through '15, but didn't make the changes necessary to remain competitive. Tying up so much cap with Lundqvist didn't help. They'll be back now that they're getting younger and making better FA decisions. As a kid, there was nothing better than watching Ratelle, Gilbert, Stemmer, Tkaczuk and Balon tearing up the ice with Eddie in goal. Dad's company had season tickets for Rangers and Knicks and we'd go whenever they were available. Good times!

[abigkahuna]

Looka like they signed Kevon...As for Cousins...maybe they can pick him up cheap again.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Looka like they signed Kevon...As for Cousins...maybe they can pick him up cheap again.

Yup - Looney re-signed for under market value. And Cousins hasn't been getting the offers he wants - if the two LA teams don't pick him up, the Warriors might be able to get him back too.