When you think of the star-studded Brooklyn Nets, the first three names most people think of are their All-Stars James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. While the Nets’ three-headed monster is undoubtedly what makes the team the favorite to win the 2022 NBA title, the role players have proven that they are equally as important.
In a season where the Nets were plagued by injuries, Brooklyn’s role players became more important than anybody could have imagined. Both KD and “The Beard” were sidelined with hamstring injuries during the season that caused each to miss over a month of playing time. Altogether the Nets “Big 3” only played together eight times during the regular season and as a result, the workload of their role players increased greatly.
And the team could be about to lose one of those role players.
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Nets Could Lose Jeff Green to the Milwaukee Bucks
One of the Nets’ most important players during the 2020-21 season was veteran forward Jeff Green. During the season Green averaged 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for Brooklyn. More importantly, Green’s length and athleticism often allowed the team to switch on defense more effectively, an area that the Nets were lacking in all season.
After losing to the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in seven games, the Nets will be looking for revenge against their Eastern Conference rival next season. If the Nets and Bucks do meet up for a rematch in next year’s playoffs they may have to go up against a familiar face. During ESPN’s “Woj and Lowe: Free Agency Special,” both Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski indicated that Milwaukee could be a potential landing spot for Green if he were to move on from the Nets. Wojnarowski reasoned that the Bucks “have to pay Bobby Portis and they can’t pay Bobby Portis what he’s probably going to get on the market.”
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Green ‘Confused’ About Getting Veteran’s Minimum Deals
Green has turned into the exact definition of an NBA journeyman, playing with a dozen teams since 2007-08. He has not played for the same team in full consecutive seasons since he was with the Boston Celtics in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. At nearly 35 years of age, the market for Green getting signed to a long-term deal has certainly dwindled. His name has become synonymous with veteran’s minimum deals, even though he has been able to consistently contribute on the court in every stop he has made. Green admitted this has been confusing to him.
“It confuses me, but it isn’t frustrating,” Green said to Sopan Deb of The New York Times. “You know, this stuff, that’s out of my control. I go out and just do the work. And I let my agent handle the logistics of the contract terms, but it is confusing to the point of, ‘What else do I need to do to prove that I’m not a minimum guy?’”
With the NBA draft and the official open of free agency fast approaching, the Nets will have some major decisions to make concerning what their roster will look like heading into next season. After a disappointing playoff exit at the hands of Milwaukee, losing one of their key role players to that same Bucks squad would be a major blow for the Nets.
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Brooklyn Nets Could Lose Key Player to Defending Champion Bucks: Report