Getty Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin celebrate at Barclays Center.
While Kevin Durant leads Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics, the Nets and general manager are busy sculpting a supporting cast for Brooklyn’s Big Three of K.D., James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
A big domino fell in their favor in that regard on Monday, when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Nets and forward Blake Griffin had agreed to terms on a one-year deal. The six-time All-Star first joined Brooklyn in early March after his contract was bought by the Detroit Pistons.
Griffin played an important supporting role for the Nets down the stretch of this past season. Unsurprisingly, Durant was elated to have the 32-year-old back on the Nets.
“To have Blake back, I’m so excited,” Durant said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “As soon as the season was over with, I was telling him that we wanted him back and telling him that we should try to do it again and just glad to see it get done.”
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Durant Happy for Recently Departed Jeff Green
Another critical piece for the 2020-21 Nets was Jeff Green, the versatile forward who averaged 11 points on 49.2 percent shooting and 3.9 rebounds in 27 minutes per game this past season.
But unlike Griffin, Green won’t be playing for the Nets next season.
The 34-year-old is headed to Denver after signing a two-year, $10 million deal with the Nuggets, per ESPN’s Malika Andrews. It’s the largest contract Green has earned since 2016.
Free agent forward/center Jeff Green has agreed to a two-year, $10 million deal with the Denver Nuggets, his agent Jason Glushon of @GlushonSM tells ESPN. The deal includes a player option in the second year.
It’s a significant loss for the Nets, no doubt, but Durant is happy for his former teammate, whom he also played alongside in Oklahoma City.
“Blake and Jeff meant so much to us last year, and it was good to be around them, but the business — guys got families and lives that they’re trying to live,” Durant said, via Winfield. “So for him to get that deal and something that he was looking forward to, I’m happy for him. Can’t wait to see him and play against him again.”
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Durant Looks Ahead
Griffin sticks. Green doesn’t. So, where do the Nets go from here?
“We move forward, you know? We move forward and guys step up,” Durant said, per Winfield. “That’s been our mentality since I’ve gotten to Brooklyn, so looking forward to having Blake back and building on what we did last year. It’s always great to have continuity in your locker room in the NBA, especially in this business because guys can get traded, waived, cut in a matter of seconds, so it’s good to have that continuity.”
The Nets have their foundation in place with their Big Three, plus Griffin and 3-point specialist Joe Harris. And with recent signings like Patty Mills, James Johnson and Bruce Brown, their 2021-22 roster is coming closer into focus.
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