The Kyrie Irving era in Boston is over, as he’s off to join the league’s newest superteam, the Brooklyn Nets.
Shortly after NBA free agency formally opened at 6 p.m. on Sunday, The Athletic reported Irving had agreed to a four-year, $142 million deal with Brooklyn. The fourth year, according to the report, is a player option.
That’s far from all. The Nets will also add Kevin Durant, the former MVP and two-time champion with the Golden State Warriors, who’ll miss the 2019-20 season with a torn Achilles’, and DeAndre Jordan.
ESPN had the initial report that Durant’s deal will be for four years and $164 million. It later reported both Irving and Durant are taking less than the maximum to allow Jordan, who split last season with Dallas and the Knicks after 10 with the Los Angeles Clippers, to sign for $10 million per year.
Durant formally announced his decision to join Brooklyn on Instagram. There was also an Irving announcement on social media, but it merely confirmed his previously reported decision to sign with Roc Nation Sports, replacing longtime agent Jeff Wechsler. Roc Nation also represents Durant.
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Russell headed west
Brooklyn free agent D’Angelo Russell, meanwhile, is off to Golden State and a four-year, $117 million contract. The Warriors and Nets agreed on a sign-and-trade that sends the 23-year-old point guard, a first-time All-Star last season who averaged 21.1 points and 7.0 assists per game with the Nets, to California along with — according to The Athletic — Treveon Graham and Shabazz Napier.
Earlier Sunday, the New York Times reported the five-time defending Western Conference champions retained Klay Thompson — who tore his ACL in the Finals loss to Toronto — with a five-year, $190 million max contract. To help fit the Russell contract under the salary cap, the Warriors (per ESPN) are trading Andre Igoudala to Memphis for draft picks.
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Knicks stuck settling
The Knicks quickly became the butt of jokes on social media, having followed their failed efforts to land Zion Williamson via the top pick in the draft by whiffing on both Durant and Irving.
ESPN reported New York was unwilling to offer Durant, who’ll be 31 in November and has played nearly 1,000 NBA games, a full max contract due to concerns over his recovery from the Achilles’ injury he suffered during the Finals.
“While we understand that some Knicks fans could be disappointed with tonight’s news, we continue to be upbeat and confident in our plans to rebuild the Knicks to compete for championships in the future, through both the draft and targeted free agents,” Knicks president Steve Mills said in a statement.
New York didn’t go emptyhanded Sunday. ESPN reported Julius Randle, who averaged 21.4 points per game in his lone season with New Orleans, agreed to a three-year, $63 million deal.
Yahoo Sports reported the last year of Randle’s deal is a team option.
Taj Gibson is also in, ESPN reporting the longtime Bulls forward who spent the last two years with Minnesota agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal.
Butler to South Beach
Al Horford’s arrival in Philadelphia meant the end of Jimmy Butler’s time there.
According to The Athletic, the four-time All-Star is headed to the Miami Heat, his fourth organization since the start of the 2016-17 season. He will receive a four-year, $142 million max contract as part of a sign-and-trade deal.
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Miami and Philadelphia were still working out some aspects of the swap, such as the addition of Dallas as the third team, according to the person who spoke to the Associated Press. The Heat will be sending Josh Richardson to Philadelphia and were in talks to trade Goran Dragic to Dallas as part of the move.
Butler met with the Heat right when free agency began at 6 p.m. Sunday and made clear that he wanted to be in Miami.
Harris, Sixers stick
Forward Tobias Harris, traded to the 76ers in February, is staying there on a five-year, $180 million contract. Multiple reports say the deal doesn’t include a player option.
Harris played in all 82 games last season, averaging 18.2 points and 7.9 rebounds in 27 with the Sixers. He started all 12 playoff games for Philadelphia, to the tune of 15.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. The Sixers were eliminated by the Raptors in the East semifinals.
Along with Butler, guard JJ Redick is also leaving Philadelphia. He accepted a two-year, $26.5 million deal to join the New Orleans Pelicans.
Blazers buy on Lillard
A person with knowledge of the negotiations says Damian Lillard and Portland have agreed on a four-year Supermax extension that will be worth nearly $200 million.
The deal will kick in for the 2021-22 season, with a salary of nearly $44 million, and will end in 2024-25 with Lillard holding an option of nearly $55 million.
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The Blazers will pay Lillard $29.8 million next season and $31.6 million in 2020-21.
Bucks make the call
Milwaukee All-Star Khris Middleton will sign a five-year, $178 million contract to remain with the Bucks. The fifth year is a player option, according to an Associated Press source.
Middleton was an All-Star for the first time last season, averaging 18.3 points per game for a 60-win Milwaukee team. His deal is not quite a max; he could have commanded closer to $190 million.
The Bucks are keeping around George Hill, The Athletic reporting he’s agreed to a three-year, $29 million deal, but are moving on from Malcolm Brogdon. Indiana, according to multiple reports, is trading a first-round pick and two second-round picks for the 2016-17 Rookie of the Year, who’ll sign a four-year, $85 million deal with the Pacers.
Around the league
■ Indiana is also adding guard Jeremy Lamb, its backup after Ricky Rubio agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal with the Phoenix Suns. Rubio was intrigued by the chance to play for new Suns coach Monty Williams and alongside shooting guard Devin Booker, a source told the AP. Rubio averaged 12.7 points and 6.1 assists last season for Utah, where he spent two seasons.
■ Former All-Rookie forward Bojan Bogdanovic is leaving Indiana for a four-year, $73 million deal with Utah, per ESPN. That deal will force the Jazz to either trade or waive Derrick Favors; New Orleans is reportedly closing in on an agreement with him.
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■ Restricted free agent Kristaps Porzingis is signing a five-year, $158 million max contract with the Dallas Mavericks, pairing the 7-foot-3-inch Latvian with fellow Euro star Luka Doncic. Porzingis and Doncic, the dynamic 20-year-old Slovenian guard who was just named Rookie of the Year, haven’t played together yet. The 23-year-old Porzingis, acquired from the Knicks before the deadline last season, sat out all of last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in February 2018.
■ Orlando held its two biggest free agents, agreeing to a four-year, $100 million deal with All-Star Nikola Vucevic and, according to his agent, a four-year, $54 million deal with center Terrence Ross.
The Magic also added Portland forward Al-Farouq Aminu, according to ESPN, on a three-year, $29 million deal — the third year is a player option.
■ Harrison Barnes is sticking in Sacramento on a four-year, $88 million deal, according to the New York Times. He’ll be joined there by Trevor Ariza, on a reported two-year, $25 million deal, and Dewayne Dedmon, whose agents told The Athletic the center agreed to a three-year, $41 million deal after two seasons in Atlanta.
■ Rudy Gay plans to sign a two-year, $32 million deal to return to San Antonio, according to The Athletic. It also reported that forward DeMarre Carroll, with Brooklyn the last two seasons, is headed to the Spurs on a two-year, $13 million pact.
■ Center Jonas Valanciunas is staying in Memphis on a three-year, $45 million deal.
■ Derrick Rose, the oft-injured former MVP, agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal to go from Minnesota to Detroit, according to ESPN.
■ Two-time Celtic Gerald Green is returning to Houston on a one-year deal, his agent told ESPN.
■ Nerlens Noel of Everett, Mass., initially agreed to a new deal with Oklahoma City, but ESPN reported he asked for time to evaluate the agreement. The sixth overall pick in 2013 played 77 games for the Thunder last season, averaging 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds.