Bruce Brown has reached the starter criteria in his contract, jumping his qualifying offer from $2.1MM to $4.7MM, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Brown made his 26th start for the Nets on Friday against his former team, the Pistons. He started 43 of 58 games for Detroit last season.
The starter criteria requires an RFA-to-be to start at least half of his team’s games in the two seasons leading up to his free agency.
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This makes Brooklyn’s decision on whether to extend the QO to Brown a little trickier, considering its luxury tax bill considerations. It would still be a surprise if the Nets choose not to extend the QO, considering how valuable Brown has been this season. He’s averaging 8.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.4 APG and is a stout one-on-one defender for a team with a wealth of scoring options when at full strength.
Brooklyn holds Brown’s Bird rights and could also sign him to an extension prior to free agency.
Brown was a second-round selection by Detroit in 2018 but quickly jumped into the starting five as a rookie.