Report: Nets Hit Mother Lode, To Sign Durant, Irving, Jordan
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Brooklyn Nets are about to stun the NBA and at the same time put themselves in position to win a championship in the not-too-distant future.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets will sign superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, plus big man DeAndre Jordan, when the free agency signing period opens.
Durant, who is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season while recovering from surgery for a ruptured Achilles' tendon, will sign a four-year, $164 million contract and Irving is expected to sign for four years and $141 million, while Jordan will get a four-year, $40 million deal, ESPN reported.
Durant announced his intentions just after 6 p.m. on Instagram.
A 10-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP, Durant is averaging 27 points and 7.1 rebounds during his 11-year career. Late last week, the 31-year-old opted out of his contract with Golden State that would have paid him $31.5 million next season, despite the fact that he likely won't play. Durant reportedly chose the Nets over the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Warriors, who offered him a five-year deal for $221 million.
This season was filled with talk of his future -- sometimes to Durant's annoyance -- though for much of the season it was focused on the Knicks if he decided to leave. But the Nets became a more attractive option with young talent that should help them be competitive next season even while Durant recovers.
Irving to the Nets had been rumored for some time, with the veteran point guard likely to supplant D'Angelo Russell as the team's floor leader. With the impending signing, the Nets are expected to rescind their rights to the 23-year-old Russell, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Irving, 27, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, is considered one of the top point guards in the NBA. A six-time All-Star, Irving played his first six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning the NBA championship alongside LeBron James in 2015-16. Irving spent the last two seasons with the Boston Celtics, and is averaging 22.2 points and 5.7 rebounds for his career.
In 61 career playoff games, Irving is averaging 23.5 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Jordan, who will turn 31 on July 21, is averaging a double-double over his 12-year career -- 10 points and 11 rebounds. The 6-11 center could eventually form an imposing 1-2 punch down low alongside the 6-9, 240-pound Durant. Jordan averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds in 19 games for the Knicks this past season after coming over from the Dallas Mavericks in the blockbuster Kristaps Porzingis trade.
MORE: Report: Knicks Agree To Contracts With Free Agents Randle, Gibson
While Nets fans are celebrating, there's nothing but disappointment for supporters of the Knicks, who had cleared enough money to sign two maximum salary free agents when they traded Porzingis. The hope was that Durant would be one of them, but instead he will end up a few miles across the river with a team that could be poised to be the dominant team in the city for years.
Please stay with CBSNewYork.com for more on this developing story.
