Nets swingman Joe Harris is fully recovered after undergoing two surgeries on his left ankle and will be ready for the start of training camp, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Bartelstein confirmed that Harris has been medically cleared for 5-on-5 play.
“He’s doing great. He’s great,” Bartelstein said. “He’s 100 percent. He’s in a great place.”
Harris was limited to 14 games last season after hurting the ankle in mid-November. His first surgery was to remove a bone particle in the ankle, and he was projected to return within four to eight weeks. Brooklyn announced in March that he needed ligament reconstruction surgery and would miss the rest of the season.
The Nets’ three-point shooting suffered without Harris, who led the NBA in that category during the 2020-21 season by hitting .475 from beyond the arc. Lewis notes that Brooklyn had an effective field goal percentage of .563 during the brief time that Harris played last season, but that number fell to .537 without him.
Harris is one of five Nets who will be coming off surgery when training camp opens, along with Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, T.J. Warren and Edmond Sumner.
There was a report in July that Brooklyn wanted to unload Harris’ contract, which pays him $38.6M over the next two seasons, in trade talks with the Lakers involving Kyrie Irving. However, Lewis hears that the team always planned to keep him.
“I know he’s someone they value at the highest level,” Bartelstein said. “There’s no question about that.”
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