The Brooklyn Nets have not made many moves this summer that the average NBA fan would consider franchise-altering outside of trading Mikal Bridges and re-signing Nic Claxton. With Brooklyn heading into a rebuild following the Bridges trade, the franchise is looking to get younger and cheaper and they have brought back one of their more promising young players.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium on Saturday, the Nets have agreed to a multiyear contract with free-agent Keon Johnson. While Johnson was a free-agent this summer, he was coming off a Two-Way contract with Brooklyn so there was a possibility that the Nets wanted to keep him in the fold to continue his development.
Johnson, 22, played in just five games for Brooklyn last season while on his Two-Way deal and put up a modest 6.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game while shooting 38.1% from the field and 40.0% from three-point land. However, it seems that Johnson’s performance in the Las Vegas Summer League may have been the catalyst for the Nets to get him under contract for the next few years.
Through four games in the summer league, Johnson is averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.1% from the floor and 25.0% from deep. Either way, it seems that Johnson has proven to the Nets that he is worth investing in for this rebuild.
Johnson originally came to the Nets last season after being waived by the Suns. Johnson, 22, played in just 5 games for Brooklyn last season, but averaged 6.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting 38.1% from the field and 40.0% from three-point land. https://t.co/LHE9KHM5Jo
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) July 20, 2024
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