Nets get Kyrie Irving back, but Patty Mills opts out
The Nets' Patty Mills driving against Darius Garland of the Cavaliers in the first quarter at Barclays Center on April 12. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
The paperwork is in.
As expected, Kyrie Irving opted into his one-year $36.9 million contract extension with the Nets before Wednesday’s 5 p.m. deadline, according to a league source.
Irving had tweeted his intentions to do so on Monday and now it is official.
While Irving ultimately decided not to test the free agent waters, another Nets guard might. Patty Mills has declined his $6.2 million player option, according to multiple reports.
Mills now becomes a free agent and should attract some interest around the league. He also could end up back with the Nets at a higher salary.
Mills, 33, logged major minutes this past season as outside shooter Joe Harris missed almost the entire season with an ankle injury and Irving was limited to 29 games mostly because of his vaccination status.
Mills, who played his first 10 seasons in San Antonio, had a career-high 48 starts last season and appeared in 81 games. He averaged 11.4 points and 2.3 assists while shooting 40% from three-point range.
Mills’ worth to the Nets may is not limited to his statistical line. Over the course of his career, Mills has been a mentor to fellow Aussie Ben Simmons, whom the Nets obtained from Philadelphia in the James Harden trade.
The Nets want to keep as supportive a culture as possible around Simmons, who hasn’t played in more than a year and has talked about his mental health challenges. If Simmons can come back and play at the level he was before his falling out in Philadelphia, the Nets could be a legitimate contender next season.
Also on Wednesday, the Nets decided not to exercise their team option on Kessler Edwards for next season, according to multiple reports. Instead, the Nets have tendered a $1.8 million qualifying offer to make Edwards a free agent on July 1.
While it may seem counterintuitive for the Nets to turn down Edwards option in order to give him a more expensive qualifying offer, doing so allows them to sign him to a contract that extends beyond next season. Edwards, the 44th pick in the 2021 draft, averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in 48 appearances as a rookie.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
