Report: DeAndre Jordan could become part of Nets’ plan to lure Kevin Durant
The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly among the teams that want to sign Kevin Durant to a max contract this summer, and they appear to have a plan in place to help convince him to choose them.
Durant is close friends with DeAndre Jordan, who is also set to become a free agent next month. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Nets are looking into the possibility of signing Jordan to help lure Durant to Brooklyn.
The Nets are exploring the feasibility of signing Kevin Durant's close friend DeAndre Jordan in free agency, league sources say, in hopes that would make the prospect of teaming up in Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving even more enticing to Durant
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 24, 2019
Stein notes that the New York Knicks, who also want to sign Durant, may have a similar plan.
The Knicks, of course, hung onto DeAndre Jordan after acquiring him from Dallas in the Porzingis blockbuster in February and have shown interest in re-signing Jordan depending on how the roster shakes out — interest that naturally rises if Durant chooses Madison Square Garden
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 24, 2019
The Nets are believed to be the frontrunner to sign Kyrie Irving, and a separate report on Monday claimed Irving and Durant have spoken multiple times recently about the possibility of teaming up together. If the Nets sign both Irving and Jordan, you can see how that might help them make a strong pitch to Durant.
While at least two teams have reportedly backed off of their pursuit of Durant because of his Achilles injury, the Nets and others do not seem the least bit deterred.