3. What’s up with Shaun Livingston?
He’s been the feel-good story of the season — seven years after a horrific knee injury that could’ve permanently kept him out of basketball, Livingston set career-highs in games, games started, minutes, points, rebounds, steals, and player efficiency rating with the Nets in 2013-14, on a one-year minimum contract. After he entered the starting lineup, Brooklyn became one of the league’s best defenses, and the best defense at forcing turnovers in the NBA. Livingston played so well that he said Livingston would be his “top priority” in the offseason, an offseason that includes Garnett and Pierce as free agents.
After proving that he can withstand the rigors of a full season, Livingston will have his fair share of suitors. The Minnesota Timberwolves are the first ones, and they can offer Livingston up to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, or over $5 million per year as a starting salary. The Nets can only offer Livingston the taxpayer midlevel exception, or about $3.3 million.
Livingston has remained non-committal about his future. In an exclusive interview with The Brooklyn Game in November, Livingston said he was just happy there’d be a market for him:
Livingston finds comfort in the fact that he’s coveted, when there were times that it looked like he’d be out of an NBA job forever. “Whatever happens in the summer, I’ll kind of deal with then and think about that,” he added. “But I’m blessed to be in this situation. I’d rather be in this situation than the opposite situation, trying to figure out, ‘okay, am I gonna have a job next year?’ So it’s like, this is, I’m very grateful, very blessed, thank God every day for this.”
My guess: Someone will make him an offer the Nets can’t match and he’ll take it. Get your money, Shaun.
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