From Jack Mahoney of cbssports.com:
The Brooklyn Nets have made their first big move of the offseason. On Friday night, just a few hours after free agency opened up, the Nets agreed to a four-year, $75 million deal with Joe Harris, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski. This is the first significant payday for the former second-round pick.
Immediately giving Harris nearly $20 million per year shows just how much the Nets valued one of the league’s best 3-point shooters. His ability to space the floor and move without the ball will be crucial for their offensive attack with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving returning to the floor this season. Those are two of the most ball-dominant stars in the league, and the Nets need players who can thrive without the ball in their hands.
Few do that better than Harris, who shot 42.4 percent from 3-point land last season, a mark that was good for seventh in the league. He was even better on catch-and-shoot opportunities, hitting 44.6 percent of those attempts, and he should get plenty of those looks with Durant and Irving drawing the defense’s attention. Every elite team needs as much shooting as possible, and Harris returning to the Nets should solidify them as one of the best offensive teams in the league, assuming Durant and Irving stay healthy.
While this is a smart move by the Nets, it’s also an awesome moment for Harris, who has come a long way from being a second-round pick and an end-of-the-bench guy on the Cavaliers early in his career. There are probably few outside of Cleveland who remember he was on the roster when they won the title in 2016, and now he’s signing a $75-million deal to play a prominent role on a playoff team.
