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Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets
- William Jackson
- Jul 1, 2019
- 3 min read
USA Today
What's the deal?
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant have agreed on a four year, $164* million deal
What Does Kevin Durant bring to Brooklyn?
Kevin Durant, when healthy, is arguably the best player in the NBA. He is an above average defender, can score from anywhere on the court and consistently shoots 50% or above from the field. However, in the NBA Finals, Durant ruptured his Achilles, causing him to potentially miss the entire 2019-2020 NBA season. The injury is one of the worst that can happen for an NBA player, as past players who’ve suffered this injury haven't come back the same. We’ve yet to see a player like Kevin Durant suffer this injury before, though, so it’s unknown how he will recover.
Durant brings with him one of the most recognizable names in NBA history. His brand will have the opportunity to grow in both the largest city in the United States, and in Asia, where Nets owner Joe Tsai has many connections.
In addition to Durant, his move brought in Kyrie Irving, a top 15 player in the NBA, and DeAndre Jordan, a dominant, veteran presence inside the paint. It’ll be interesting to see how these three play together in Atkinson’s system, but nonetheless a player like Kevin Durant can fit anywhere in the NBA.
This move also changed Durant’s perception around the NBA. For the last three seasons, Durant lost respect across the league for joining the 73-win Warriors. He formed a super team that when healthy, went unmatched to anyone. He won two Finals in Golden State, but when the team has four All-Star starters, of course the Warriors won.
Now, the tables have shifted. Durant turned down more money from Golden State to play for the Nets. He could have stayed there for another five years, continuing to play with three of the best players in the NBA, but Durant took a risk and signed with the Nets. Not only did he turn down the max from the Warriors, he took a small paycut from Brooklyn in order for them to sign DeAndre Jordan.
What does this mean for Brooklyn?
Without a doubt, this move means Brooklyn won the offseason. Injured or not, Kevin Durant is more than a basketball player, he’s an NBA icon. For years Brooklyn has sat in the shadow of the Knicks, gaining little to no media attention and never being a huge focus for any NBA star.
Now that changes, as Brooklyn has one of the biggest stars the NBA has ever seen. Brooklyn will be in the spotlight more often than not, they’ll be selling out Barclays Center consistently and their merchandise sales will go way up.
Basketball wise, if you have the opportunity to bring in a player like Kevin Durant, you do it. His versatility will do wonders in coach Atkinson’s system, and Brooklyn has the necessary role players around him to make this move work. Look for Brooklyn to be contending for a title in 2021.
Contract grade:
Kevin Durant deserves the max anywhere he goes. The Nets secured him for four seasons and gave him just under the max. Any way you look at it, this is an A+ contract for the Nets. Yes, Durant’s injury is concerning, but as previously stated, KD is more than a basketball player, giving Kevin Durant this contract was the easiest decision the Nets have ever had to make.
Final thoughts:
Brooklyn won the offseason, without a doubt this was the best case scenario for Sean Marks and the Nets. This was their “A” plan all along and were completely successful. In three seasons, the Nets went from the worst situation in the NBA to possibly the best, and Kevin Durant in the cherry on top.
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