Scotto: Ed Davis loved his time in Brooklyn ... but $$$

When the Nets signed Ed Davis last summer, both Damian Lillard and C.J. McCullum lamented that he’d be somewhere other than Portland. And Jason Quick, who’s covered the Trail Blazers forever, thought the team had given up the best back-up center in the league. He may have been right.

With the Nets, the 30-year-old Davis had one of his best, if not his best season, averaging 8.6 rebounds, a career high and high among bench players league wide. He played in all but one game and served as a mentor Jarrett Allen.

Now, he’s a free agent and someone the Nets would like to keep. Michael Scotto caught up with him to talk about what he wants and where he’d like to play. Davis mince no words in describing what he wants most out of his next team... Money.

“First is the money,” Davis told Scotto after participating in a Jr. NBA clinic and NBA Cares project to benefit service men and women at Basketball City on Wednesday. “Then, two is fit. Then, if it’s a playoff team or a non-playoff team or an old team or young team. Whatever fits best for you. The last thing I guess is the city, but for sure a guy like me is definitely the money for sure.

“A lot of guys won’t say it, but trust me, 99.9 percent of the guys it’s about money just like for your job. You’re going where the money is at. People look at us athletes and think that we’re not supposed to take what’s best for us. It’s definitely about the money.”

That could be an issue for the Nets. They signed him to a one-year deal at $4.4 million last year. With his Bird Rights, the most they can offer is two years at $11 million without cutting into cap space. Is that enough of a raise, particularly when he took a $2 million pay cut to join the Nets? He certainly likes Brooklyn and its operations staff.

“Hopefully, I’m back in Brooklyn. But if not, I definitely enjoyed my time there, and I appreciate every minute that I had in Brooklyn. I’m still working out there every day right now. We’ll see what happens. It’s a business. You know how it goes.”

Davis said he’ll be in Las Vegas the first week of July to talk contract.

As for the D’Angelo Russell - Kyrie Irving debate, Davis had nothing but positive things to say about DLo.

“I played with D’Angelo,” Davis said. “I thought he did a hell of a job. He was an All-Star. I don’t know if them two (Irving and Russell) can work or however it’s going to go. I thought D’Angelo did a hell of a job, and I thought he was going to be the starting point guard for the future for Brooklyn, but like I said, you know how things go. That’s why Sean and Kenny (Atkinson) get paid the big bucks to figure out things like that.

“I wish it was D’Angelo and I hope things work out for him. They will, but I don’t know Kyrie, so I’m all for DLo.”

• As Nets pursue Kyrie Irving, Ed Davis considers his own free agent priorities - Michael Scotto - The Athletic New York