Before D’Angelo Russell stepped in front of the reporters, a handler aggressively set the boundaries: no questions about anything other than the basketball camp. If it happens, the interview is over. If a reporter doesn’t agree, he or she should leave.
It was never explicitly stated, but it’s safe to assume Russell didn’t want to talk about his free agency. Two months ago, it wasn’t such a sensitive topic. He wanted Brooklyn and Brooklyn wanted him. The 23-year-old will be a restricted free agent so the path to a reunion was easy to envision. At least that was the prevailing narrative.
But a few things changed. Most significantly, GM Sean Marks created the cap space for two max free agents and Kyrie Irving’s connection to the Nets in free agency got stronger. More than anything, Irving’s discontent in Boston set this in motion. Now it’s tougher to see Russell coming back to Brooklyn even as he expressed affection for NYC on Sunday at his ProCamp in New Jersey.
“It’s fun,” he said. “This is a city that loves basketball.”
Russell reinvented his game and image with the Nets, becoming an All-Star under coach Kenny Atkinson and leading Brooklyn to 42 wins last season. He underwhelmed in a playoff series against the Sixers, and — less than two weeks after being eliminated — was cited for weed possession at LaGuardia airport. The citation was inconsequential to Russell’s free agency value. But for other reasons — namely the dream of teaming Irving with Kevin Durant — the Nets traded two first round picks to pursue two max free agents.
According to scouts, Irving and Russell are a poor fit together as two ball-dominant point guards who sometimes view defense as optional. Marks, operating like he knows something, didn’t need to make the trade to re-sign Russell and another max free agent. That was about enticing Irving and a player other than Russell.
Reports have linked Russell to the Jazz, Timberwolves, Pacers and even the Lakers, who unceremoniously dumped him in a trade two years ago. The Nets can match any offer but not if they use the cap space to sign two other max players.
If Durant declines to sign with Brooklyn, a source says there’s mutual interest between the Nets and Tobias Harris. At this point, however, it’s more likely Harris re-signs with the Sixers. Harris is planning to conduct free agency meetings on both coasts, according to a source: The East coast on June 30 and the West coast on July 1.
The Knicks are not expected to be in the mix for Russell or Harris. New York still believes it’s in the hunt for Kawhi Leonard, Irving and Durant. But, according to a source, the Knicks will punt their $70 million-plus in cap space if they can’t land one of those Tier A free agents. In other words, they’ll use the money to lock in one-year deals and do this all over again in 2020 when Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Draymond Green, Ben Simmons (restricted) and Pascal Siakam (restricted) hit the market.
