Nets Hiring David Levy As CEO
The Nets are hiring longtime Turner president David Levy as their new CEO, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Brooklyn is expected to make the hiring official after Joseph Tsai‘s purchase of the team is formally approved at the league’s upcoming Board of Governors meetings.
Levy spent 33 years with Turner before leaving his position with the company earlier this year shortly after AT&T’s acquisition of Turner and the rest of WarnerMedia. He started as an ad sales account executive with the company in 1986 before eventually ascending to the role of president in 2013.
Levy will be replacing Brett Yormark, who announced last month that he’d be stepping down from his position as CEO of the Nets and the Barclays Center. Yormark had a significant amount of control under Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, but with Tsai taking over as the controlling owner of both the Nets and their arena, it makes sense that he’d bring in his own lead executive.
In a press release issued a month ago announcing Tsai’s deal to buy out Prokhorov, the Nets confirmed that Yormark would oversee the transition to new ownership before “departing for a new role.”
Nets To Give Away 10k Kyrie Irving Jerseys Against Knicks
- The Nets plan to give away 10,000 Kyrie Irving jerseys when the team hosts the Knicks on October 25, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). The Knicks were one of several teams interested in signing Irving in July, though Irving was said to have his sights set on joining the Nets well before the start of free agency.
Dinwiddie Turning Contract Into Digital Investment Vehicle
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will become the first NBA player to turn his player contract into a digital investment vehicle, multiple sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
As Charania explains, Dinwiddie is expected to give up some future income on his three-year, $34MM+ deal with the Nets in order to secure smaller lump sum payments up front, which he could then immediately invest. Investors who secure a “Dinwiddie bond” in the form of a digital token would eventually be paid back the principal amount with interest, with that cost covered by the veteran’s NBA contract, writes Charania.
Nets’ Interest In Carmelo Anthony May Be Growing
With Joe Johnson possibly headed to Detroit, several Nets veterans are pushing the front office to sign Carmelo Anthony, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Johnson said he was planning to work out for Brooklyn this week, but sources tell Lewis it hasn’t happened yet. He had a session with the Pistons yesterday, and The Athletic’s Frank Isola said on SiriusXMNBA, “From what I’m hearing, Detroit is the favorite to land Joe Johnson.” (Twitter link)
That may leave Anthony for the Nets, who suddenly have a depth issue at forward. In addition to playing without Kevin Durant, who may be sidelined for the entire season, Brooklyn lost Wilson Chandler to a 25-game PED suspension and Rodions Kurucs may be suspended as well over domestic violence allegations.
The Athletic reported that Durant and Kyrie Irving were appealing to management to add Anthony, and GM Sean Marks recently watched him play. Anthony spent much of the summer working out in Los Angeles with a few Nets players.
Taurean Prince tweeted a video of Anthony from those pickup games, along with the following endorsement: “Guarded him for a month straight. Same Melo only thing diff is the narrative ppl throw on his name.”
The Nets are eligible to move a suspended player off their active roster after the fifth game, so talks with Anthony could heat up by early November, if not sooner.
Kevin Durant Talks FA Decision, Warriors, Thunder
Kevin Durant hasn’t spoken much this summer about his decision to leave the Warriors for the Nets in free agency, but he opened up on that topic in a conversation with J.R. Moehringer of The Wall Street Journal.
As Durant explained to Moehringer, after going through an extended series of meetings during his free agency in 2016, the star forward didn’t feel the need to do the same in 2019. He didn’t even need to speak to the Nets before making his decision, having felt confident from the outside that Brooklyn was the right fit.
Durant also noted that the motion offense the Warriors run “only works to a certain point,” and that the later rounds of the postseason require him to get more creative on offense. According to Moehringer, the 10-time All-Star wanted to go somewhere where he’d be “free to hone that sort of improvisational game” over the course of the season.
The opportunity to join his “best friend in the league,” Kyrie Irving, was a plus for KD too.
Over the course of Moehringer’s piece, Durant offers a handful of interesting thoughts and observations on his fit with the Warriors, his relationship with the Thunder, and his feeling about the NBA. Here are a few of those highlights:
On never fully fitting in with the Warriors:
“I came in there wanting to be part of a group, wanting to be part of a family, and definitely felt accepted. But I’ll never be one of those guys. I didn’t get drafted there.… Steph Curry, obviously drafted there. Andre Iguodala, won the first Finals, first championship. Klay Thompson, drafted there. Draymond Green, drafted there. And the rest of the guys kind of rehabilitated their careers there. So me? S–t, how you going to rehabilitate me? What you going to teach me? How can you alter anything in my basketball life? I got an MVP already. I got scoring titles.
“As time went on, I started to realize I’m just different from the rest of the guys. It’s not a bad thing. Just my circumstances and how I came up in the league. And on top of that, the media always looked at it like KD and the Warriors. So it’s like nobody could get a full acceptance of me there.”
On the hostile reaction he received from the Thunder and their fans when he returned as a Warrior:
“Such a venomous toxic feeling when I walked into that arena. And just the organization, the trainers and equipment managers, those dudes is pissed off at me? Ain’t talking to me? I’m like, ‘Yo, this is where we going with this? Because I left a team and went to play with another team?’
“… I’ll never be attached to that city again because of that. I eventually wanted to come back to that city and be part of that community and organization, but I don’t trust nobody there. That s–t must have been fake, what they was doing. The organization, the GM, I ain’t talked to none of those people, even had a nice exchange with those people, since I left.”
On the business of the NBA:
“Some days I hate the circus of the NBA. Some days I hate that the players let the NBA business, the fame that comes with the business, alter their minds about the game. Sometimes I don’t like being around the executives and politics that come with it. I hate that.”
Kevin Durant Talks Nets, Kyrie Irving, Possible Early Return
When Kevin Durant signed with the Nets earlier this summer, it was with the understanding that the 10-time All-Star would likely miss most, if not all, of next season. A torn Achilles suffered in last season’s NBA Finals cast doubt on Durant’s availability for 2019/20.
Since he inked his deal with the Nets, Durant has been mostly quiet, outside of social media posts and one interview explaining his decision to depart from Golden State to sign with the Nets. In a new chat with influencer Chris Henderson on YouTube, Durant touched upon his new teammates and even seemed to leave the door open on returning in ’19/20.
Check out some highlights below:
On the Nets’ play during his indefinite stint on the sidelines:
“I’m excited about this group. Obviously with me not starting off the season and obviously being injured, you’re going to see a lot of guys step up and do some things and go to another level as a player.”
Which players he expects to be major contributors:
“Like Caris [LeVert], Joe Harris, Taurean Prince, even the older guys like Garrett Temple, Kyrie, DeAndre [Jordan], I feel like everybody in this environment in going to step up, especially due to circumstances with me not being available. I think everybody’s going to step up and take it to the next level. We’ve got great coaching, great front office, great fanbase that’s excited for something new. This is a fresh start for everybody, I feel.”
How Kyrie Irving will impact the Nets:
“He’ll make you feel a certain way when you watch him. His movements, his mentality out there, his smarts for the game, his efficiency, he’s an all-around player.”
Nets Notes: Offseason, FAs, Kurucs, Riccardi
The Nets were among the summer’s big winners two months ago, having secured free agent commitments from stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving while adding complementary roster pieces like DeAndre Jordan and Garrett Temple.
However, as Frank Isola of The Athletic details, that “once-in-a-lifetime” offseason has hit a bit of a rough patch in recent weeks. Wilson Chandler was hit with a 25-game PED suspension and Rodions Kurucs was arrested for an alleged domestic incident.
Throw in the fact that Durant is expected to miss most of the season and the knowledge that Irving contributed to disharmony in the Celtics’ locker room last year and there are plenty of uncertainties and question marks in Brooklyn heading into ’19/20.
As the Nets look to minimize the drama in Brooklyn, here are a few more notes related to the franchise:
- Isola suggests the Nets will “likely” make a roster move at some point with Durant out and Chandler suspended for the season’s first 25 games. As NetsDaily observes, there has been plenty of chatter lately linking Brooklyn to veteran free agents Carmelo Anthony and Joe Johnson.
- Kurucs’ attorney Alex Spiro tells legal expert Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated that the allegations against his client are “bogus” and claims they’re the result of a bad breakup. Still, as McCann outlines, Kurucs may face a suspension from the NBA depending on how the case plays out. Because he’s facing misdemeanor – rather than felony – charges, the Latvian forward shouldn’t have any issues related to his immigration status or work visa.
- The Long Island Nets – Brooklyn’s G League affiliate – announced on Thursday that they’ve named Matt Riccardi as their general manager and Shaun Fein as their head coach. Riccardi drew interest from Memphis earlier this offseason, but opted to stick with the Nets.
Lowe: Could Nets Look To Put Together Big Three?
- In an interesting article for ESPN.com, Zach Lowe examines the apparent shift to “Big Two” roster-building this offseason and explores which of those teams with dynamic duos may be in position to acquire for another star to create a “Big Three.” Lowe identifies the Nets and Mavericks as two intriguing possibilities, since Brooklyn has the assets necessary to make such a trade, while Dallas’ two young stars – Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis – aren’t as expensive as most top pairs around the league, creating an opportunity in free agency in 2021.
Nets’ Rodions Kurucs Arrested In Brooklyn
Nets forward Rodions Kurucs was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly choking his now ex-girlfriend, sources tell Trevor Boyer and Graham Rayman of the New York Daily News.
Police sources told the Daily News that a verbal argument back on June 27 spiraled out of control and the 6’9″ forward allegedly choked and pushed his then-girlfriend among other actions that included slapping her, biting her, and tossing her onto a bed hard enough to cause injuries. Boyer and Rayman relay that the woman suffered bruising to her ribs and face, though at this time there’s no photographic evidence of those injuries, Kurucs’ lawyer notes.
The couple’s relationship lasted nine months. According to prosecutor Wilfredo Cotto, Kurucs and his then-girlfriend went on a scheduled trip to Las Vegas the following day (June 28). The Latvian native played for Brooklyn’s Summer League team in Vegas in early July.
Kurucs, who will make slightly under $1.7MM this upcoming season, was released with no bail. He was charged with obstructing the woman’s breathing and Judge Gina Abadi issued an order of protection for his ex-girlfriend while giving Rodions orders to stay away from her.
The NBA has a domestic violence policy, which was integrated into the league’s latest CBA. It’s likely that Kurucs, who appeared in 63 games for the Nets last season, will face a suspension.
The Nets have issued a statement confirming that they’re investigating the allegations, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays (via Twitter).
LeVert Extension Details; Harris Enjoying Time With Team USA
- Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights (Twitter link) passes along the official numbers for Caris LeVert‘s new rookie scale extension, which starts at about $16.2MM in 2020/21. As initially reported, the three-year deal with the Nets is worth exactly $52.5MM and is fully guaranteed, with no options.
- Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris, who put up 11 points and five rebounds today for Team USA, is relishing an opportunity to represent his country at the 2019 World Cup, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post details. ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter) that Harris should be one of the very best UFA shooting guards on what figures to be a weak NBA free agent market in 2020.