NBA Rumors: Paul Millsap Could Team Up With Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving In Brooklyn Next Season
The Brooklyn Nets may have succeeded in acquiring two legitimate NBA superstars — Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant — last summer, but they don’t seem to be done yet in upgrading their current roster. Though they are yet to see the team at full-strength, rumors are circulating that the Nets could aggressively pursue quality players that would boost their chances of fully dominating the Eastern Conference and winning a championship title in the 2020-21 season. One of the potential targets for the Nets in this year’s free agency is veteran power forward Paul Millsap of the Denver Nuggets.
In his recent article, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report created a list of the perfect free agent for every NBA superstar duo. For Irving and Durant in Brooklyn, Swartz believes that Millsap should be at the top of the list of their potential targets.
“Millsap is 35 but is still playing at a high level with the Denver Nuggets this season. The team has been 11.4 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, and Millsap is shooting a career-high 44.0 percent from three. Still a good defender at his age, Millsap will soon make his 11th career trip to the playoffs in 14 seasons. He’s been a well-respected member of every team he’s been on and would set a strong leadership tone in Brooklyn. Millsap is a better rebounder than [Taurean] Prince (13.5 total rebound percentage to 10.6 percent) and blocks shots at over twice Prince’s rate (2.4 percent to 1.1 percent).”
Millsap may no longer be in his prime and already on the downside of his NBA career, but he would still be a great addition to the Nets. Millsap would give the team a veteran big man with plenty of playoff experience who is capable of knocking down shots from beyond the arc. As Swartz noted, the potential arrival of Millsap in Brooklyn would give the Nets a major upgrade at their power forward position.
Compared to Taurean Prince, who is currently the Nets’ starting power forward, Millsap is a better rebounder and a more efficient scorer. This season, the 35-year-old big man is averaging 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from three-point range. Adding Millsap to the Nets’ starting lineup of Irving, Durant, DeAndre Jordan/Jarrett Allen, and Caris LeVert would no doubt make the Nets more competitive and give them a better matchup against other powerhouse teams in the league like the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
