Shield your eyes, Primo Pasta enthusiasts.
The Brooklyn Nets announced on Saturday that they have waived veteran big man Andrea Bargnani, having completed a buyout of his contract, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports.
Nets waive/complete buyout of Andrea Bargnani: pic.twitter.com/hZMda7lbid
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) February 20, 2016
Marc Stein of ESPN reported earlier on Saturday that the Nets had begun buyout negotiations with Bargnani.
ESPN sources say that the Nets and veteran forward Andrea Bargnani have opened buyout negotiations
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) February 20, 2016
Bargnani, 30, signed a two-year, $2.9 million contract with Brooklyn over the summer. He made 46 appearances for the Nets this season, but only averaged 13.8 minutes per game, and recently appeared to be out of the rotation completely.
The market for the former No. 1 overall pick was predictably frigid at the trade deadline, and now the Nets have opted to just sever ties outright. It’s unclear if Bargnani will garner any interest, especially since the one skill that’s still keeping him in the NBA, his shooting, has regressed into oblivion (18.8 percent from deep in 2015-16).
Some team could talk themselves into taking a flier on the seven-footer. But for a no-risk, no-reward player, the incentive might just simply not be there.
Image Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
