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Hours before the 2019 NBA free agency officially gets underway, Kevin Durant, arguably the top free agent on the market this year, is reportedly set to take his talents to the Eastern Conference and sign with the Brooklyn Nets, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Kevin Durant is planning to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
The deal will reportedly be for four years, $164 million.
In addition to the Nets and the Golden State Warriors, which were reportedly prepared to offer Durant a full five-year, $221 million deal in hopes of retaining the superstar forward, the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers were being considered as potential destinations.
Durant has since confirmed his decision on The Boardroom’s Twitter account just moments into free agency.
— The Boardroom (@boardroom) June 30, 2019
The move will headline a massive free agency haul for the Nets, as former Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and center DeAndre Jordan, who appeared in 30 games last season with Dallas and New York, will reportedly join Durant in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn is making a clean sweep tonight: Brooklyn will sign Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
Durant, a 10-time NBA All-Star, including appearances during each of his three seasons with the Warriors, is expected to miss the 2019-20 season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Prior to the potentially career-altering injury, which helped pave the way for the Toronto Raptors to capture the franchise’s first-ever NBA Championship, Durant guided Golden State to back-to-back NBA titles in 2016 and 2017, earning Finals MVP honors following each effort.
Most recently during the 2018-19 campaign, Durant averaged 26 points per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three, while grabbing 6.4 rebounds and dishing out 5.9 assists per contests. Along the way, prior to suffering the Achilles injury that’s expected to sideline him next season, Durant was beginning to solidify his status as arguably the best basketball player in the world.
Whether or not Durant can return to that form remains to be seen, but when we do see it, it will be in Brooklyn.