Nets reach agreement with Andrea Bargnani on reported 2-year, minimum deal
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In a shocking last-minute twist, the Brooklyn Nets have reached an agreement to sign free-agent center Andrea Bargnani, the team announced Sunday.
Bargnani confirmed the move on Twitter as well.
Glad to join the @BrooklynNets. I'm ready for this new challange.
La nuova sfida ha un nome: Brooklyn Nets. Pronto ad accoglierla con voi.
— Andrea Bargnani (@AndreaBargnani) July 13, 2015
Terms were not released, but Tim Bontempts of the New York Post reports that Bargnani will earn the veteran's minimum over the next two seasons worth $2.5 million, with a player option in the second year.
Bargnani was strongly linked to the Sacramento Kings on Saturday and again on Sunday, but the Nets secured Bargnani's services despite Sacramento presenting a richer offer, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.
Having played in New York for the past two seasons, Nets fans should be relatively familiar with Bargnani's skillset. He's an unreliable 3-point shooting big who ranks as a huge liability on the defensive end. Health is also a struggle for Bargnani, as he has failed to appear in more than 43 games in each of the past four seasons.
But Bargnani did see a renaissance of sorts last season with the Knicks. He only played 29 games, but the 7-foot Italian posted respectable averages of 14.8 points per game on 36.6 percent shooting from deep. Small sample size caveats apply, however, as Bargnani attempted just 41 3-point tries.
Still, Bargnani was a former No. 1 overall pick and represents a low-cost flyer for the Nets. Having played nine seasons in the NBA, it's probably too late to expect the 29-year-old Bargnani to make good on his talent, but on occasion, Bargnani will still show flashes of All-Star talent.
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