Redick picks Sixers, Nets eye ‘Wiz’ Porter
The Nets scratched J.J. Redick and Joe Ingles off their list Saturday. Now they’re on to Otto Porter Jr., a long shot at best.
Redick, whom the Nets were willing to offer a twoyear contract and a key role off the bench, spurned them for a one-year, $23 million deal with Philadelphia. Utah held on to Ingles, a 29-yearold restricted free agent, for four years and $52 million. Both deals were first reported by ESPN.
Now the Nets will turn their attention to Porter, a highly regarded restricted free agent with whom they will meet in Washington.
“Trust the process,” tweeted Redick, 33, who trusted Philadelphia’s process more than Brooklyn’s rebuild, despite the fact he has family in the borough and a condo in Dumbo, just 1 ½ miles away from Barclays Center. But after acquiring D’Angelo Russell, the Nets are committed to starting the former No. 2-overall pick alongside Jeremy Lin and developing the 21-year-old as a cornerstone.
Reddick is one of the best 3-point shooters of the era, and Ingles’ 44.1 percent from behind the arc was actually third in the NBA this past season. The Nets were believed to be willing to give the former as two-year deal, and had a meeting planned with the latter. Now they will get neither.
So where does that leave the Nets? Chasing restricted free agent wings such as Washington’s Porter and Detroit’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Porter, 24, is regarded the top restricted free agent on the market. And it is that last caveat that has to worry the Nets and their fans, Brooklyn signing three restricted free agents last season and seeing all three of their teams match.
The fourth time likely won’t be the charm.
The Wizards met with Porter and agent David Falk late Friday/early Saturday, and failed to lock him up. That did leave the door open for Brooklyn, with TNT reporting that the 6-foot-8 small forward will meet with suitors starting Sunday in Washington and offer sheets would be expected to follow early next week.
Though the Nets have $28.5 million in cap space, and can offer Porter a fouryear, $106 million maximum deal starting at $24.75 million, Washington can offer five years and match any contract. Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is frugal and never has paid the luxury tax, but sources told The Post that Washington is determined to match any deal, including the maximum.
Though the 76ers’ moves for Redick and Amir Johnson (one year, $11 million) eliminates them as one of the few suitors that could afford Porter or CaldwellPope, that may not help Brooklyn much. A source told The Post the Pistons also likely are to match any offers for their 24-year-old shooting guard, despite having just given a threeyear, $21 million deal to exKnick Langston Galloway.
TNT cited Sacramento as the Nets’ likeliest competition to make an offer to Porter, though not to Caldwell-Pope because the Kings don’t need a 2-guard.
The Nets have been linked with Rudy Gay, and Andre Iguodala’s return to Golden State shut that door on him. Gay is 30 and coming off a knee injury, but could potentially be had on a short-term deal.
Boston’s Kelly Olynyk and Brose Bamberg’s Nicolo Melli — whom general manager Sean Marks personally scouted — are stretch-four possibilities. ESPN mentioned the Nets as a possibility to take Toronto’s DeMarre Carroll — and the two years and $30.2 million left on his deal — as a salary dump to get an asset.
It should be noted Marks can hold that cap space for salary dumps later on, like the one that brought Russell to Brooklyn last month.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams could start tendering offer sheets at 12:01 a.m. Saturday instead of waiting until the moratorium ends at noon on July 6. Teams then have until midnight on July 8 to match those offers extended during the moratorium.