The Brooklyn Nets’ busy offseason continued on Thursday, as the team added frontcourt reinforcements and positioned themselves to add some more. According to Paul Millsap’s agent, the veteran big man decided to end his time on the free agent market and put pen to paper on a deal with the favorites to win the 2021-22 NBA championship.
Free agent Paul Millsap has agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, his agent DeAngelo Simmons told @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 2, 2021
Beyond Millsap, Charania reports that the Nets are in pole position to bring back someone who was on their team last season before he was forced to medically retire. LaMarcus Aldridge, who abruptly called it a career in April due to an irregular heartbeat, had been mulling a comeback, and Charania reports that the various tests he needed to clear have all been passed.
As such, per Charania, things appear to be pointing towards a reunion between Aldridge and the Nets.
Seven-time NBA All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge has been cleared to play again, passing all of the necessary tests, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The Nets are leaders to sign Aldridge, sources said.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 2, 2021
Brooklyn had something of a patchwork frontcourt during the postseason last year, particularly after Jeff Green suffered a strained plantar fascia. Bruce Brown, Nick Claxton, and Kevin Durant played a ton of minutes at the 5, with only Claxton being viewed as a center. It nearly worked, as the team pushed the Milwaukee Bucks to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and coming awfully close to winning.
Now, the team adds a pair of steady veteran hands in an offseason where that’s appeared to be a priority. Both James Johnson and Patty Mills have made the jump to Brooklyn, and now, Millsap and potentially Aldridge should help fortify their frontcourt and their bench.