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Brooklyn Nets Lose Mirza Teletovic To Phoenix Suns

ByKenneth Teape|

The Brooklyn Nets had to take back their qualifying offer from Mirza Teletovic and he didn’t last long on the free agent market as the Phoenix Suns quickly snatched him up.

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The Brooklyn Nets are in a tough position. They are attempting to add talent and improve their team while also trying to slash salary and get under the luxury tax line. Sometimes, for that to happen, the Nets have to let players go that seemed to be an important part of what they were doing. That is what happened today, as the Nets rescinded their qualifying offer for Mirza Teletovic. Shortly after that, he agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Phoenix Suns.

Teletovic was a player that was receiving a lot of interest from European teams recently while he was a restricted free agent. It is kind of a surprise that more teams weren’t actively pursuing Teletovic, even as a restricted free agent. Especially since he was a restricted free agent for the Nets, a team that was looking to cut payroll this summer, not add more lengthy contracts.

But, Teletovic was not a player that teams targeted in free agency, and now the Suns are reaping the benefits. He will fit perfectly into their style of play as a stretch power forward with a strong perimeter game. He is a 36.2 percent shooter in his career from the three-point line, which will fit in perfectly in Phoenix as he will help replace the departed Marcus Morris, who was traded to the Detroit Pistons in a salary dump along with Danny Granger and Reggie Bullock.

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Teletovic also looks to be past the blood clots that he had on his lungs last season. It forced him to miss the final 39 games of the regular season and Game 1 of the Nets’ first round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. He was able to appear in Game 2, 3 and 6, playing a combined 17 minutes. While he did not make a basket, it was nice to see him get back on the court after such a scary incident.

For the Nets, losing Teletovic wasn’t something they wanted to do, but was a necessary move. To sign the players they agreed to deals with, and get under the elusive luxury tax, the Nets needed to take back the qualifying offer, making Teletovic a free agent. The Nets will miss the three-point shooting that Teletovic brought to the table, as he was one of the better ones on the team despite his struggles last season.

While the Nets will miss his ability to stretch the floor, this is a move made with an eye towards the future. The Nets need to begin getting under the luxury tax and adding younger, more athletic players. They will now a have a chance to do that; too bad it was at the expense of someone as well liked and productive as Teletovic.

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