There has been a lot of attention given to the Brooklyn Nets this NBA offseason. Things got a bit hairy with Brooklyn recently, as they got into a standoff with Kyrie Irving over his contract.
Irving and Brooklyn reached an impasse with his situation, as Irving was seeking a long-term deal and the Nets were unwilling to give in. So, a game of chicken ensued and to the surprise of many, the Nets won.
Irving reportedly had six teams, the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers linked to him. But, Brooklyn called his bluff and they ended up being right. Irving was seemingly met with a cold market and even Kevin Durant’s presence wasn’t able to secure Irving a long-term deal.
With Irving now opted in, the Nets can focus on filling out the roster around their All-Star duo. One player that they could be in danger of losing is Patty Mills. Mills surprised some people when he took less money to sign with the Nets last offseason on the mini mid-level exception.
LATEST NBA FREE AGENCY NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: 5 Bold Predictions Ahead Of NBA Free Agency
However, that contract included a player option for the second season, and Mills has declined that option. He will now become an unrestricted free agent, turning down $6.2 million.
Mills should have no issues earning more than that as a free agent this offseason. Plenty of contending teams have mid-level exceptions that they can offer, which could pay him upwards of $10 million if the entire thing was used on him.
The veteran point guard came up huge for Brooklyn last season when they had to deal with Irving being away from the team. He played in 81 games, starting 48 of them, and it is hard to imagine where they would have been without him.
LATEST NBA FREE AGENCY NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: 5 Bold Predictions Ahead Of NBA Free Agency
Mills averaged 11.4 points per game, which was just short of his career-high set during the 2019-20 season. He connected on 40 percent of his 3-point attempts, chipping in 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.
Contenders are going to line up to sign Patty Mills this offseason, similar to what the case was last offseason. The Brooklyn Nets are going to do all they can to retain him, but they will face a lot of competition on the open market.
