The Brooklyn Nets have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, and that’s going to be important for the next half-decade or so. Those two players will shoulder the bulk of Brooklyn’s championship hopes over that time frame.
But so too is it important for the Nets to keep a strong team around its superstars. Too many teams seem to end up top heavy as they try to chase championships year after year.
To that end, Brooklyn has reportedly signed their own budding star Caris LeVert to an extension that takes him through 2023.
Via ESPN and Twitter:LeVert’s extension starts at $16.2 million in 2020-21 and escalates to $17.5 million and $18.8 million in the next two years, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported.
The deal gives LeVert security and a chance to return to free agency or negotiate an extension before his 28th birthday.
No better feeling to start off Year 25. Brooklyn, I can’t wait for what’s next. pic.twitter.com/AyDj4yDqx4
— Caris LeVert (@CarisLeVert) August 26, 2019
LeVert’s extension is worth a reported $52.5 million, which makes him reasonably paid within the team context and should give him a chance to cash out yet again before he hits age 30.
This season will be an interesting look into how LeVert and Irving work together on the floor without Durant. They can get into some kind of rhythm and find an understanding between them, which is going to be vital for when Durant eventually returns in 2020.