Well, the biggest #wojbombs were out of the way before free agency even opened, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Brooklyn Nets will sign both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
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
(Oh, and DeAndre Jordan.)
The contract details:
Sources: Durant will sign a 4-year, $164M deal with the Nets; Irving will sign 4-years, $141M.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
The news had been rumored for some of the afternoon, too:
An undeniable vibe of confidence is emanating from Brooklyn as we speak: The Nets sure seem to believe they are getting Kevin Durant's commitment tonight to go with Kyrie Irving"s … with DeAndre Jordan, Durant's close friend, to follow
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 30, 2019
Durant is going to miss significant time next season, so Irving is likely going to be the much more impactful signing for next season. But without Kyrie, Durant probably doesn’t end up in Brooklyn, and assuming he can be something close to the Durant we had before the injury, it’s going to be a massive move for the Nets.
It also ends the Warriors run as the unquestioned most talented team in the NBA; they’re reportedly going to max Klay Thompson and build from there.
If there’s one unimpeachable reason that neutral observers should cheer this trade, though: just imagine how angry James Dolan and the rest of the Knicks are. That’s good for everyone.
About Jay Rigdon
Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.