Kyrie Irving didn't waste any time making his intentions known as NBA free agency hit.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the six-time All-Star will meet with the franchise to finalize a four-year deal that is expected to pay him $141 million. The last year of the deal will be a player option.
Kyrie Irving will soon meet to finalize a four-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets, with a fourth-year player option, league sources told @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is expected to be part of the franchise’s pitch meeting for Irving tonight, sources said.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2019
Irving's committal to Brooklyn is the first part of the Nets' plan to form a big three of Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan.
Durant is also said to announce his decision on his Instagram page on Monday, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski announced he'll be joining Kyrie and Jordan in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn is making a clean sweep tonight: Brooklyn will sign Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
Irving averaged 23.8 points and 6.9 assists per game on 49% shooting from the field in 67 games for the Boston Celtics this season, making his third straight All-Star appearance and sixth overall.
The Celtics, however, underachieved greatly with Irving at the helm, leaving both parties willing to move on.
With Irving seemingly now in the fold, the Nets will likely move on from All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell. Russell is gaining strong interest from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers according to multiple reports.
The Nets could orchestrate a sign and trade to move on from Rusell with teams that don't have enough cap space to sign Russell, Wojnarowski added. The Timberwolves would fall into that category should they decide to acquire the 23-year-old point guard.
Players can negotiate agreements with teams on July 1st but contracts can't be officially signed until the new league year begins on July 7.
