Report: Garrett Temple now a free agent with Nets declining team option

Garret Temple’s time as a member of the Nets is at an end after just one season in Brooklyn.

Garrett Temple was a steady presence for the Nets throughout what was a chaotic 2019-20 NBA season in Brooklyn. He provided a veteran voice and was a player who could contribute on both ends of the floor — doing far more than what would normally be expected of him due to the slew of injuries that plagued the Nets throughout the year.

Those injuries also presented other Nets players with opportunities throughout 2019-20. Among those who took advantage of the available minutes was Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who especially stood out in the Disney bubble.

While TLC’s emergence is great for the Nets, he also made Temple dispensable. The two play similarly, but TLC costs less.

So it wasn’t a huge surprise on Thursday when Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN announced the Nets are declining Garrett Temple’s option for next season, which was the final year of his two-year deal with Brooklyn.

Temple is now an unrestricted free agent.