Getty Images OG Anunoby and Stanley Johnson of the Toronto Raptors celebrate after the 107-102 win over the Indiana Pacers
Heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, the Brooklyn Nets will look a lot different than they did when they took the floor for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Key pieces such as Spencer Dinwiddie, Landry Shamet, and Tyler Johnson have now departed from Brooklyn either through free agency or the trade market. Outside of losing Dinwiddie in free agency the Nets’ biggest loss of the 2021 offseason has to be forward Jeff Green.
Green had become one of the Nets’ key role players throughout the season in which he averaged 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. His presence became particularly essential in the Bucks series. Green’s defensive versatility was on display as he and Kevin Durant were the primary defenders of Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Nets had an opportunity to re-sign him in free agency but ultimately, Green decided to sign a two-year $10 million deal with the Denver Nuggets. A decision he says was a ‘no brainer.’
“I thought it was fitting,” Green said via the Denver Post. “The environment, the culture, the players, the coach, the atmosphere … the type of environment you look for in an organization. It was a no-brainer. I felt like it could be a special season.”
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Nets May Add Former Raptor Stanley Johnson in Free Agency
With Green’s departure from the Nets, Brooklyn will be looking to fill that vacancy with another player who can share the defensive assignment of the opposing team’s best player along with Durant. They have already signed noted wing defenders in DeAndre Bembry and James Johnson and are looking to further bolster that defensive front. Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype reports that the Nets have been looking into signing former lottery pick Stanley Johnson who has a career average of 1.0 steals per game.
“In other news regarding the Nets, it seems the team could have some interest in former lottery pick Stanley Johnson,” Scotto writes. “He’s been around team members and staff out in Southern California. He’s working out with those guys, HoopsHype has learned.”
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Lakers May Look to Sign DeAndre Jordan as a Free Agent
The writing seems to be on the wall that Nets center DeAndre Jordan will not be a part of the team’s plans moving forward. The only question that seems to remain is if the Nets will trade Jordan or if they will come to a buyout agreement and allow him to find a team in free agency.
Whenever Jordan does become available the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to be suitors according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
“I think they’d be open to one more center. A Dwight Howard JaVale McGee type. Another candidate who I think you should watch — and this is another one that would be a bit harder to see how this is going to happen okay? — is DeAndre Jordan in Brooklyn,” Shelburne said per NetsDaily.
“They are WAY OVER the luxury tax. I don’t think he’d do a buyout there. I think if he doesn’t play at all or depending on how he fits there, this would be a mid-season sort of thing probably.”
While the Nets might seem like they have remained relatively quiet in free agency they have been busy. They haven’t necessarily made any big moves, but they have made additions that could end up being key in their pursuit of an NBA title.
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