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Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that the Nets have agreed to sign point guard Shabazz Napier of the Trail Blazers to to a two-year deal.
Free agent guard Shabazz Napier has agreed to a two-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets, league sources tell ESPN. Napier, 27, had his best pro season with the Blazers last year.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 14, 2018
Greg Logan of Newsday reports the second year is a team option. Not word yet on the financial details. Napier earned $2.36 million last season and was an unrestricted free agent.
#ShabazzNapier deal with .@BrooklynNets is for two years but includes team option for second, NBA source told @NewsdaySports.
— Greg Logan (@GregLogan1) July 14, 2018
Napier, 6’1”, averaged a career-best 8.7 points and 20 minutes a game last year in Portland. As a starter, he averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Napier will join a guard rotation for the Nets that includes D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris.
He turned 27 Saturday. He is known as a superb ball handler and solid shooter from deep.
BAZZ GOT ‘EEEEM
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) July 14, 2018
Happy birthday, @ShabazzNapier❗️ pic.twitter.com/TyYk7U4zIS
Napier shot better than 37 percent from 3-point range last season, starting nine games and playing a total of 74. Napier has averaged 5.7 points and 1.9 assists in four NBA seasons, including with the Blazers, Magic and Heat. He was the 24th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft after leading UConn to the national championship, where he was named Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four. He also was part of the UConn national championship team in 2011.
Signing the Boston native and UConn product would bring to 14 the number of Nets under contract and their cap space close to zero.
Brooklyn now with 14 players (13 guaranteed) under contract after the Shabazz Napier signing. The Nets are right at the cap and can now begin the process of signing Joe Harris (early bird exception) and Ed Davis (room midlevel exception) to exceed the salary cap.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 14, 2018
Napier is of course the second Blazer free agent Sean Marks has successfully recruited this summer. Davis worked out with Nets teammates in Las Vegas.
Later on Saturday, Keith Smith of RealGM tweeted out that the Nets had renounced their rights to Quincy Acy and Milton Doyle.
The Brooklyn Nets have renounced the free agent rights to Quincy Acy and Milton Doyle. This opens up a bit more cap space for the Nets, prior to them re-signing Joe Harris and signing Ed Davis and Shabazz Napier.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 14, 2018
It could mean the end of their Nets careers or simply a housekeeping move to free up space and facilitate the other signings already agreed to.
- Sources: Nets reach deal with Shabazz Napier - Adrian Wojnarowski - ESPN
- Nets fill need at point guard with former Final Four MVP - Brian Lewis - New York Post
- Sean Marks has created light at the end of tunnel for Nets - Greg Logan - Newsday
- Shabazz Napier reportedly agreed to contract with Brooklyn Nets - Kurt Heilin - NBC Sports