The 2019 free agency proved pivotal for the Brooklyn Nets. They acquired Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant - two superstars with NBA rings that likely will win more playing with the team. The Nets also hired big man DeAndre Jordan, and as it turned out KD and Irving played a huge role in Jordan joining up with Brooklyn.
Jordan will get the chance to play with both Irving and Durant next season when the latter is recovered from his injuries. And such a prospect was made possible by the pay adjustments that Irving and Durant have agreed on.
"When Jordan, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving signed with the Brooklyn Nets, the two superstars took less on their respective contracts to make room in the budget for Jordan," according to Bleacher Report.
Durant inked a $164.3 million deal with the Nets that calls for him to stay four years while Irving signed a $136.5 million contract that will seem him playing for the Brooklyn in the same stretch of period as KD. The same report said the contracts the two had agreed upon included considerable fine-tuning so they can play with Jordan.
Specifically, the duo opted for the proposed performance bonuses by the Nets to create cap space that would allow the signing of Jordan.
With KD and Irving secured in the Nets roster, Brooklyn was able to free up the needed funds to pay the 31-year-old center.
"The Nets were willing to pay him $40 million over four years when given the breathing room by Durant and Irving," the report added.
It might seem a mystery why the three players have agreed to join the Nets and not paying too much mind on the pay, especially on the case of KD and Irving. The lure for them, according to Clutch Points, was the sheer admiration of the NBA club.
Even before joining Brooklyn, the three players have admired the team for its talent and culture, so the thought of joining was far from surprising. And it helped that Irving grew up in New Jersey, so it was a sort of homecoming for him.
On Durant's part, it has been known he wanted to play alongside Irving, so when the latter signed up, KD jumped in as well.
Jordan has refused to go into details on the circumstances that saw him, Irving, and Durant committing to Brooklyn for four years. One thing is clear, however, the trio in active play will make the Nets among the favorites win the 2021 NBA Finals.
