DeAndre Jordan will not be joining his Brooklyn Nets in Orlando.
Jordan announced on Twitter Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He says that positive test occurred upon returning to New York to prepare for the Orlando restart. Jordan says that he will not be going to Orlando for the resumed NBA season.
The list of players who will not be joining the Nets in Orlando is growing.
In addition to Jordan, Wilson Chandler said Sunday he would not be going due to the virus. Kevin Durant (Achilles tendon) and Kyrie Irving (shoulder) already were not playing as they recover from injuries. On top of that, Spencer Dinwiddie said Monday that that he tested positive for the virus and was unsure about playing next month.
At 30-34, the Nets enter the resumed season seventh in the East. They will likely turn to center Jarrett Allen for more of a contribution with Jordan out, and they will also sign a player, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
DeAndre Jordan is pushing back against reports that said some of the Brooklyn Nets’ players were responsible for Kenny Atkinson’s firing.
Atkinson mutually parted ways with the Nets on Saturday, which came towards the end of his fourth season as the team’s head coach. One report said some Nets players wanted him fired, while another said Kyrie Irving soured on Atkinson.
Jordan, who along with Irving and Kevin Durant signed with Brooklyn over the summer, called the report about Irving pushing out Atkinson “bulls—.” Jordan said there were multiple new players on the team and thought they all should be blamed if that was the case rather than Irving be singled out.
The veteran center also said he was “shocked” over the firing.
“I was definitely shocked,” Jordan told the New York Post. “I thought Kenny did a great job with us. This is my first year with him obviously and the guys who had been here love him, so I’m sure it’s tough for them. But at the end of the day, this is a business. Coaches get fired, players get cut, traded, whatever it is. So we still have a job to do.”
Common sense tells you the new players are the reason for Atkinson’s firing. The team was doing well and improving each year with him as their head coach before the new players joined. Then after the new players were signed, Atkinson started losing influence. Do you really think the Nets would get rid of Atkinson over complaints from Jordan, Garrett Temple or Wilson Chandler? No, they’d tell those guys to get in line. However, if Irving or Durant didn’t care for Atkinson’s methods, that would likely inspire such a change.
DeAndre Jordan becoming a respectable free throw shooter was one of the greater plot twists of last NBA season, and now Jordan is opening up about his improvement.
Appearing this week on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take,” the new Brooklyn Nets center discussed his drastic progress from the charity stripe in 2018-19.
“For me, Hack-a-Shaq sucked a lot,” said Jordan, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “It sucked big time. I used to go hide [from opponents looking to foul]. [I thought] I don’t like this. But after years of that, I got a little better at it this past season and I’m shooting the ball a little bit better.
“I hit a lot of them in practice,” he went on. “I think it’s the 20,000 people [that affected me]. This season I actually didn’t think about anything other than shooting the basketball and it helped me out a lot.”
Jordan, a career 44.6 percent shooter from the line entering last season, skyrocketed to 68.2 percent with the Dallas Mavericks and a glowing 77.3 percent with the New York Knicks following a midseason trade.
The going got so good for the former All-NBA First Teamer Jordan that he once became a designated free-throw shooter. While he may not be that for the Nets next season, adding such a dimension to his game will allow him to stay on the floor and play unbridled as he chases his first NBA title with them.
The Brooklyn Nets will have an interesting two-man battle at the center position next season, but one of them may be willing to give way if necessary.
Addressing reporters Tuesday, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson would not commit to a starter between Jarrett Allen and the newly-acquired DeAndre Jordan but revealed that Jordan said he was willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
The two big men have similar games but Allen is ten years younger (21 to Jordan’s soon-to-be 31) and already started 80 games for the Nets last year.
Jordan was central to helping Brooklyn land their new superteam of sorts with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but as he nears his 12th NBA season, it sounds like he is happy to take on a more complementary role if need be.
The Brooklyn Nets have pulled off the signings of the summer.
Free agent forward Kevin Durant announced on Instagram that he will join the Nets in free agency.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added that DeAndre Jordan will be joining Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn.
Durant will almost certainly miss all of next season, but the move will still lead to a huge power shift in the NBA. The Nets are already adding Kyrie Irving to the mix, and pairing him with Durant will make them an instant title contender once they’re able to play together.
Durant is set to receive a four-year, $164 million deal from Brooklyn, while Irving will get $141 million.
The Brooklyn Nets are confident they are about to have a huge offseason.
It has been widely reported that Kyrie Irving already has a handshake agreement in place and will sign with the Nets as soon as free agency begins on Sunday. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, they have no intention of stopping there. The Nets are confident they are going to sign Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan in addition to Irving.
Durant is not going to leave fans hanging, as he is planning to announce his decision via his own sports business TV show on instagram Sunday night. The Golden State Warriors are reportedly planning to offer him a five-year, supermax contract worth $221 million, but there has been increasing talk that Durant will turn the massive deal down.
Many believe Durant’s decision will come down to returning to the Warriors or signing with the New York Knicks. Durant has also reportedly discussed playing with another top free agent on the market, though that seems somewhat unlikely.
DeAndre Jordan may not be able to stay out of the City of Angels for long.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst reported Friday that the free agent big man is interested in playing in Los Angeles again. They also add that Jordan would possibly be a fit on the Lakers, who are expected to pursue him.
The former All-NBA First Teamer Jordan, who turns 31 this summer, played the first nine seasons of his career with the LA Clippers before leaving in free agency last July to sign with the Dallas Mavericks on a one-year deal. He was then dealt to the New York Knicks as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Jordan still offers elite skills on the boards and in the paint, but the concern is that his value, which is tied heavily to his athleticism, may soon depreciate as he ages. That said, the Clippers are also eyeing a reunion elsewhere, so the Lakers may be the better match for Jordan right now.
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.
Stein notes that the New York Knicks, who also want to sign Durant, may have a similar plan.
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.
The 2018-2019 NBA season is in the books, and now free agency looms in the coming weeks. The class is absolutely loaded with talented players who could change the league. While there are obvious names, there are also some less visible players that have the opportunity to hit the open market and make a real impact, whether it’s by staying with their current team or seeking a new home. Much will revolve around the stars, but the market is deep, and there are a lot of exciting storylines to follow as teams look to chase down the Toronto Raptors to become the next NBA champion.
Here are ten free agents whose journeys this summer will be among the most intriguing.
10. Khris Middleton, F
Middleton has become an enormous part of the Milwaukee Bucks’ rise to the top of the Eastern Conference, but if they want to keep him, they’re going to have to pony up the cash. Middleton has hinted that he won’t give the Bucks a hometown discount, and his comments all but confirmed his intention to decline his player option. A premier three-and-D forward, he can help many teams, but his best fit may be Milwaukee — if they pay him.
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The New York Knicks have an injury problem in their frontcourt.
Coach David Fizdale revealed Sunday that DeAndre Jordan, who sprained his ankle Saturday during practice, will not play Sunday and has no timetable for his return.
Jordan has played eight games with Dallas and is averaging his usual double-double. The Knicks would probably like to have him, but considering they’re not really trying to win and are embracing a youth movement, Jordan’s absence won’t really be the end of the world for them.
