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Ah, the 2021 offseason does seem so long ago. It is one that Kendrick Nunn probably would like to forget, because that was when he left the Miami Heat and passed up more money from other teams to sign with the Lakers.
Nunn’s time in L.A. was a disaster and a good cautionary tale about taking in as much money as possible on your first major contract, before you start focusing on chasing championships. He, apparently, is holding his agency at the time, Klutch Sports (which represents LeBron James, and is owned by James’ business partner, Rich Paul) responsible.
Nunn has left Klutch and is now represented by another major agency, Octagon. It’s too late for him to recoup what might have been on the table for him two years ago, but Nunn is moving forward, and is still a free agent.
Nunn May Have Passed on $15 Million Per Year
Cast your mind back, and you’ll remember that Nunn was a restricted free agent for Miami in the summer of 2021, and expected to net a big offer. Nunn had averaged 15.0 points in his first two NBA seasons, and was only 25 years old. He had shot 45.8% from the field and 36.4% from the 3-point line. There was talk of the Raptors being interested. John Hollinger of The Athletic wrote that, “Sources tell The Athletic that Nunn could get offers in the $15 million a year range.”
Instead, though, Nunn surprised everyone and accepted a significantly smaller contract—two years and $10 million, with a player option on Year 2—to go play for the Lakers, where he would join the bevy of Klutch clients, most notably James and Anthony Davis, already in place in Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported at the time: “Free agent guard Kendrick Nunn has agreed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, source tells ESPN. Deal includes a player option. Nunn turned down significantly more money to chase a title with the Lakers.”
Nunn pointed to a potential Lakers title as the reason he signed the lowball contract.
“L.A. would be appealing to anyone, honestly speaking,” Nunn said at his introductory press conference. “But just that chance to go out there and win a ring. A good chance, a great chance to win a ring. I look at the roster around and I’m one of the younger guys, so I’m going to be a sponge to a lot of these guys in the locker room and just continue to grow and develop my game as well.”
Nunn’s Knee Ruined his Lakers Tenure
But Nunn suffered a what was originally expected to be a minor knee injury in training camp, and that injury wound up spiraling. Throughout the season, Nunn was reported to be close to a return, but then could not get back to full health. He missed all of the 2021-22 season and had to opt in for the 2022-23 season.
He did not have a role with the Lakers last year, though, and was shipped off to Washington in January. Nunn averaged 14.1 minutes in 31 games, scoring 7.5 points per game, but has been unable to drum up any interest as a free agent this summer.
Rather than landing a multi-year contract starting at $15 million, as expected, Nunn signed for $10 million total over two years and is now likely to play overseas next season. Not difficult to see why he wanted to be rid of Klutch.
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