Three months removed from the trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the conversation surrounding the Brooklyn Nets' failed Big Three continues. In a recent appearance on The Dan LeBatard Show, Bruce Brown opened up on his departure from Brooklyn last summer.
Brown was among the Nets' top performers during their first-round sweep against the Boston Celtics in the 2022 playoffs, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 21-0f-37 (56.8 percent) shooting. That production made Brooklyn's decision to let Brown walk in free agency surprising to many, especially given he only received a two-year, $13 million deal from the Denver Nuggets.
Nets general manager Sean Marks received a fair amount of criticism from the fanbase for that decision. However, Brown said the call didn't come from Brooklyn's front office.
“Honestly, I don’t think it was the Nets front office or organization who made that decision. Because from what I’ve heard, they wanted me back,” he said.
When asked who made the decision, Brown declined to respond but again admitted the front office was in his corner.
“I can't say too much about that,” he said. “The front office wanted me back.”
“Front office-wise, they’re great, they’re amazing. I love Sean Marks, Jeff Peterson,” he later said.
Brooklyn essentially chose Royce O'Neale over Brown, acquiring the forward from the Utah Jazz and absorbing his $9.2 million salary into a trade exception. Some fans will understandably point to owner Joe Tsai for the decision to not re-sign Brown in addition to O'Neale.
Adding Brown's $6.5 million salary to the payroll would have increased Brooklyn's luxury tax bill by roughly $25 million. The Nets also declined to use their $6.5 million taxpayer mid-level exception at any point this season, a decision likely motivated by luxury tax savings.
However, it's worth noting that Brown was the franchise's face for the COVID-19 vaccine, which Tsai was in vocal support of throughout the 2021-22 season. He appeared in a sponsored commercial for vaccine producers Pfizer and Biontech that aired before Nets games on YES Network:
“I'll do literally anything the team needs me to do. I really can't miss any games. When the vaccines became available, there was no doubt I was getting vaccinated,” Brown said.
All of this while Irving missed over half the season while refusing to take the vaccine.
Bruce Brown also sat courtside with Tsai's wife, Clara Wu, at a Liberty game after the 2021-22 season ended:
Brooklyn Nets
Bruce Brown 🤝 Clara Wu Tsai
just sign the Contract already Fam lol #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/G4sj433lEm— NetsKingdom 👑🗽 (@NetsKingdomAJ) May 19, 2022
There have been rumblings that Brown did not get along with Durant during his time in Brooklyn. Those rumors, along with Brown's advertisement of the vaccine amid Irving's steadfast holdout, could shed some light on his comments about who decided not to bring him back.
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