The 2019 NBA free agent class is star-studded and is going to radically alter the landscape of the league one way or another. The top two names on most people's list are Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, both of whom will reportedly consider signing with the Brooklyn Nets.
Sources have told me marquee free agents like Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard & Tobias Harris will consider Brooklyn when making a decision this summer.
More on that here for @SNYtv: https://t.co/H0Ej3JRmWJ via @SNYtv
— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) May 1, 2019
From Anthony Puccio of SportsNet New York:
Several league sources have told SNY that top-tier free agents, including Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Tobias Harris, will at least consider Brooklyn this upcoming July when it's time to find their next home -- if they decide to leave.
"Making the playoffs definitely helped their chances," one source said.
If the Nets were to renounce all their upcoming free agents, including D'Angelo Russell, and find a taker for Allen Crabbe's contract (which they should be able to do around draft time by attaching some draft picks), they would have the salary cap room to add two max free agents. The Nets are clearly an organization on the rise after making the playoffs this year and completely changing the culture under head coach Kenny Atkinson, general manager Sean Marks and a new ownership group.
More on NBA Free Agency
"The process we went through this year -- and there's a lot of positives that've come out of this year -- can only help," Marks said at his exit interview. "It's going to attract free agents. People are going to want to play here. They're going to want to play for Kenny [Atkinson], they're going to want to play in Brooklyn, they're going to play for this ownership group. We have a lot of things going for us."
It has been heavily speculated that Durant, in particular, is a good bet to sign with the New York Knicks, who also have the capacity to add two max players this summer. But you can understand the intrigue of the Nets, and frankly, considering only what is in place right now, they are in a better position to win than the Knicks. Some people are wondering whether the results of this year's playoff run with the Warriors will impact K.D.'s decision to stay with the team or cut ties and move on.
"I think he's gone [from Golden State] either way," a league exec told CBS Sports.
