Everything seemed to be falling apart for the Brooklyn Nets not too long ago when Kevin Durant requested a trade, and Kyrie Irving also seemed to be on his way out, but the franchise has steadied the ship for now. The Nets managed to keep their two superstars as they held their ground despite mounting pressure from Durant and their front office deserves a lot of credit for not succumbing.
Along with the positive news on the KD and Kyrie front, Ben Simmons is also on track to get back on the court at the start of next season, so things are looking up in Brooklyn. They also made some solid acquisitions this offseason, as they signed Markieff Morris and T.J. Warren while also trading for Royce O’Neale.
Marc Stein Explains Why The Nets Signed Markieff Morris
Morris is perhaps the most significant of the three to come in, and on the court, he provides the Nets with some size that they lacked last season. His play on the court wasn’t the only reason why they wanted him, though, as per NBA insider Marc Stein.
“Markieff Morris’ one-year, $2.9 million contract with the Nets is indeed a non-guaranteed deal. According to my trusted cap consultant @KeithSmithNBA, Morris locks in $500,000 of that amount if he makes the Nets’ Opening Night roster, with that figure rising to $1 million guaranteed if he’s still a Net on Dec. 10 and a full guarantee if Morris remains on the roster beyond Jan. 10.”
“Yet it should be noted that the Nets considered the Morris signing as sufficiently significant that I’m told Nets owner Joe Tsai made a personal recruiting pitch to the 33-year-old. The Nets were desperate to add a veteran who could command the respect of stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and believe Morris has the gravitas to speak up when necessary like he did in Los Angeles alongside James and Davis.”
The fact that owner Joe Tsai made a personal recruiting pitch shows just how keen they were on having Morris on the roster. They definitely do need players like him who can stand up to Durant and Irving, as the latter, in particular, seems to have been causing a lot of issues behind the scenes.
Talent has never been the question when it came to the Nets in recent seasons, as they have had a ton of it. The problem is all the drama, and they’ll be hoping to finally put aside all the distractions and have success on the court. Stephen A. Smith believes they can make it to the NBA Finals, and with the talent on the roster, it is hardly an outrageous claim.
