Hours before NBA Free Agency was set to open on June 30, future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant threw the entire league into chaos by requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. No matter where Durant eventually lands, the Nets will command a king’s ransom for his services, but the rest of Brooklyn’s roster is also in a period of uncertainty until the big dominoes fall. In the midst of that odd situation, veteran guard Patty Mills elected to decline a player option that would have paid him $6.2 million for the 2022-23 season, setting up unrestricted free agency. However, Mills will reportedly stick around Brooklyn on a two-year deal that will pay him $14.5 million.
Free agent G Patty Mills has agreed to return to the Brooklyn Nets on a two-year, $14.5M deal, his agent Steven Heumann of @CAA_Basketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
From a financial standpoint, this is a success for Mills, adding salary for 2022-23 and locking in another year for the 33-year-old. Though it remains to be seen what the roster will be like around Mills, the 6’1 veteran remains an incredibly valuable offensive player. Mills connected on 40 percent of his three-point attempts a season ago, boosting his career mark to 38.9 percent, and Mills averaged 11.4 points per game while appearing in 81 contests.
While Mills is somewhat duplicative with Seth Curry as smaller perimeter shooters with defensive questions, the $7.25 million average annual salary is certainly appropriate for what he brings. Mills is also a steadying presence that is well-liked in the league, and the Nets are bringing at least some modicum of stability to a chaotic situation by bringing him back into the fold.
