Getty Andre Iguodala directs the Miami Heat offense during a January 25 game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Five days into the NBA’s free agency period, the Brooklyn Nets have made multiple moves to help bolster their roster depth ahead of a championship run in 2022.
Sean Marks started things off by re-signing Blake Griffin to a one-year deal.
Then the Nets secured a commitment from veteran point guard Patty Mills.
A longtime member of the San Antonio Spurs, he signed a two-year, $12-million deal to back up Kyrie Irving.
Glue guy and small-ball center Bruce Brown signed his $4.7-million qualifying offer, so he’ll be back next year, too.
Through all of that, the main cast was set for the 2021-2022 title push, with supporting roles on the team all that was left to fill.
Andre Iguodala, the 2015 Finals MVP and three-time champion, popped up on Sean Marks’ radar, albeit briefly.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday night that the Brooklyn Nets were among the 17-year veteran’s top-three destinations:
But he followed that report up just 12 hours later with confirmation that Iguodala would be signing a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors.
The 37-year old played a crucial role in their three-championship run from 2014-2018, and will return with hopes of aiding their postseason run in 2022.
Iguodala averaged 4.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game with the Miami Heat last season.
Nets Pivot to DeAndre’ Bembry
Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets were well prepared for Andre Iguodala to sign elsewhere it seems, given that they signed veteran wing DeAndre’ Bembry just an hour after the news broke.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first with those reports:
Bembry, a five-year veteran, is coming off of a productive bench campaign with the Toronto Raptors last season.
He averaged 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and a steal across 51 appearances in 2020-2021.
Similar to Iguodala, he’ll provide a defensive effort in spurts off the bench, something desperately needed on this Brooklyn Nets team.
But in regards to free agency, DeAndre’ Bembry isn’t the only news out of the Borough on Friday.
Durant Inks Four-Year Extension
Despite currently being in Tokyo and preparing for Friday night’s match against Team France for the Olympics gold medal, Kevin Durant is tending to business.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that he’s planning to sign a four-year/$198-million extension as early as this week:
Durant, now 32, is coming off of a stellar 2020-2021 season with the Brooklyn Nets.
The 11-time All-Star averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.3 blocks over 35 appearances last season.
Brooklyn, of course, was eliminated prematurely in the postseason, by the Milwaukee Bucks in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Now, the Nets will look to extend the other two members of their Big Three, James Harden and Kyrie Irving as soon as is possible.
Otherwise, it seems this roster is largely complete, with some around-the-margin signings such as that of DeAndre’ Bembry all that’s left in play.
And yet, the Brooklyn Nets will walk into the 2021-2022 as the straight-up favorites to capture the title, after coming so close last season.
The NBA season will tip off October 19.
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Source: Heavy
