After the Brooklyn Nets rescinded their qualifying offer to forward Mirza Teletovic, he signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Suns worth approximately $5.5 million. But according to Teletovic, the Nets didn’t go away completely, offering him a two-year deal to stay in Brooklyn — which he declined, preferring the basketball fit in Phoenix.
According to Igor Marinovic (h/t NetsDaily), who attended a press conference in Bosnia for Teletovic:
Teletovic about @suns: Brooklyn wanted me to stay, Kings offered me 2-year deal, but I choose Phoenix because they suit my game best
— Igor Marinovic (@sofoklo13) July 23, 2015
Teletovic: I always loved Phoenix Suns, I loved Charles Barkley back then. I already have few friends there and I look forward to be there
— Igor Marinovic (@sofoklo13) July 23, 2015
The Suns ranked in the top 10 in three-point attempts and third in pace last season under coach Jeff Hornacek, so he’ll have no shortage of chances to shoot.
The Nets tendered Mirza Teletovic a qualifying offer early in the process, a one-year deal worth $4.2 million, making Teletovic a restricted free agent. But after re-signing Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez and making a few other moves, the Nets elected to rescind the offer, and it didn’t take long before Teletovic signed elsewhere. It’s not clear what the parameters of any Nets offer were beyond that, other than Teletovic saying it was a two-year deal.
RELATED: Remembering The Times Mirza Teletovic Was Awesome
Teletovic spent three years with the Nets, playing in 165 games with the franchise — the third-most in its Brooklyn history. A renowned sharpshooter, he hit 36.2 percent of his three-pointers during his Nets tenure, including a career-high 39 percent in 2013-14. He was diagnosed in January with bilateral pulmonary embolus, or multiple blood clots in his lungs, which limited him to just 40 games played last season.
NetsDaily — Mirza Teletovic: Nets wanted me back but I wanted the Suns
