Nets' persistent approach leads to success in the free agent market

The Nets are signing Harry Giles to a contract and, according to SNY’s Ian Begley and Garrett Stepien, Giles picked Brooklyn over two other suitors who had strong interest in the big man. It’s unclear who those two suitors were, but his agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management said the Nets showed interest all offseason.

Brooklyn’s persistent interest has been a factor in free agent decisions this summer, with Dennis Smith Jr. also picking the Nets over other offers because of their continued interest.

Giles, the No. 20 overall pick in the 2017 draft, hasn’t played in the NBA since 2021. Still just 25 years old, Giles joins a rotation of centers that include Nicolas Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Noah Clowney.

As SNY points out, and we wrote Friday, Giles is eligible for a two-way deal this season due to a change to the Collective Bargaining Agreement despite the fact that he has four years of NBA service, since he missed a full year to injury. It’s still unclear whether his deal includes Exhibit 10 language but if it does, Giles could have the deal converted to a two-way contract. Currently, Brooklyn has no spots open on its 15-man standard roster but has exactly one two-way spot available for Giles, if that’s the route the Nets and Giles choose to follow.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

• Former Sixers assistant Brian Adams is leaving Philadelphia to accept a head coaching job with the Taipei Taishin Mars of Taiwan’s T1 league, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wojnarowski notes that Adams had a storied history with former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers, with whom he coached for each of the past nine seasons with the Clippers and Sixers. Adams was also the head coach of the Agua Caliente Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate, from 2018 to 2020, before he joined Rivers in Philly.
• While the Knicks have just 14 players on standard contracts and room under their hard cap of $172.34M to add a 15th, Begley doesn’t see New York signing another rotation-level player. Begley writes that prior to the World Cup, Knicks decision-makers wanted Josh Hart to play more of the power forward position next season. While it wouldn’t surprise Begley to see the Knicks add someone who can have a positive impact on team culture (he mentions Taj Gibson and Ryan Arcidiacono), Begley writes New York could look to keep the roster flexible for someone who interests them mid-season.
• The deadline to sign a rookie scale extension is one day before the regular season, or Oct. 24, and Immanuel Quickley is in line for a new deal. Begley writes that he would be surprised if a deal between Quickley and New York didn’t happen. However, there are a handful of factors that could play into a potential decision by New York to let the fourth-year guard hit restricted free agency. For starters, while the Knicks are well under the hard cap now, this team could get expensive within two years, as players like Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and Quentin Grimes are up for new deals. Begley also notes that if the Knicks sign Quickley to a deal, it makes the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up harder to trade down the line due to the financial implications of whatever Quickley’s deal looks like. If the former Kentucky guard and New York don’t agree to a deal, he’ll reach restricted free agency in 2024.