The Nets hope to re-sign sharpshooter Joe Harris in free agency this summer provided the two sides can agree to terms, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes.
Harris is set to enter unrestricted free agency, with the 28-year-old likely to seek a big pay upgrade on the open market. The Nets hold his Bird Rights and can go over the salary cap to re-sign him.
“Yeah, definitely! Why wouldn’t you?” Harris said when asked whether he hopes to play with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, with the Nets unable to sport their full rotation this season due to injuries.
“Obviously those are guys who I’ve gotten close with now that I’ve been with them this past year. They’re obviously incredible players. You see what they’re able to do when they are healthy and are playing. I don’t see that there’s anybody in the NBA who wouldn’t want to play with those guys.”
The Nets view Harris as a valuable off-ball threat and necessary asset to have alongside primary ball-handlers such as Irving, Durant, Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert. He held per-game averages of 13.9 points on 41 percent shooting from deep this season, starting in all 63 games.
Here are some other notes from the Atlantic division:
- The Knicks’ most important offseason need is an upgrade at point guard, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes in his mailbag. Berman notes that adding a point guard who can playmake and shoot from distance would elevate the games of RJ Barrett and Kevin Knox immensely.
- For Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, it’s a matter of when — not if — he will become an NBA All-Star, A. Sherrod Blakely writes for NBC Sports Boston. Brown averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season, narrowly missing his first All-Star selection.
- Blake Murphy of The Athletic examines the recovery of Raptors guard Dewan Hernandez, who battled a major right ankle sprain this season. “It was one of the worst sprains ever. That takes time,” Hernandez said. “But I’ve been through worse, so I’m good mentally.” Hernandez, the No. 59 pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, originally suffered the ankle injury in late-December.
