Brooklyn Nets

Killian Hayes, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, has reportedly found his next team.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Thursday that the guard agreed to a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets. Charania noted the 22-year-old will "have a chance to compete for a roster spot."

Hayes' career with the Detroit Pistons got off to a less-than-ideal start, as he suffered a labral tear in his right hip and played just 26 games as a rookie.

That put him behind the timeline the Pistons surely envisioned when they selected him with such a high draft pick even when he played 66 games in his second season and 76 in his third. That third season was the best of his career, as he averaged 10.3 points, 6.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

He seemed poised to build on it in 2023-24 but played just 42 games for a Pistons team that finished with the worst record in the league at 14-68.

Efficiency has always been a concern with Hayes, who has connected on just 38.2 percent of his field-goal attempts and 27.7 percent of his three-point attempts throughout his career. His inability to effectively stretch the floor in today's NBA limits his ceiling and has helped prevent him from living up to the expectations that were initially in place.

There won't be any of those expectations on the Nets, though, which could help him put up better numbers with less pressure following a change of scenery.

He will first have to make the team, but age and potential are working in his favor considering Brooklyn is in rebuilding mode after trading Mikal Bridges this offseason.

Giving a young player who could turn the corner like Hayes playing time may be exactly what the Nets are looking to do in 2024-25.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic have interest in Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Lewis' report follows a June 30 report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who mentioned the Kings, Toronto Raptors and the Indiana Pacers as other interested parties.

Brooklyn is entering a full-scale rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. The 28-year-old Johnson, who has three years and nearly $69 million left on his contract, could very well be next.

The 6'8" Johnson has played five NBA seasons. He just averaged 13.4 points on 44.6 percent shooting (39.1 percent from three), 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27.6 minutes per game. His outside shooting ability obviously is drumming up interest among contenders, and it's tanking season in Brooklyn, especially with a star-studded draft class of 2025 en route.

"The day the Nets traded Johnson's longtime friend Mikal Bridges and signaled their intent to tank, that put veterans such as Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder, Ben Simmons and Bojan Bogdanovic on the trade block," Lewis noted.

"But the latter trio are all playing on expiring deals, so they could be kept to preserve 2025 cap space. Moving Johnson and Finney-Smith seems logical, with the Johnson projected to fetch more in return."

Ultimately, there isn't a reason for the Nets to keep Johnson this season. The Nets may wait until the 2025 trade deadline to field a better trade package, but with Brooklyn looking to rebuild, it's best for both parties for Johnson to head elsewhere.

Breaking it down a bit more, the Lakers, Kings and Magic would all make sense. L.A. needs more perimeter help to alleviate the burden on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Sacramento is going for it after dealing for DeMar DeRozan to complement De'Aaron Fox and Domatas Sabonis. And the Magic, fresh off a playoff appearance and hungry for more, could use more scoring help after struggling offensively.

So it could be a matter of when, where and for what at this point with Johnson, whose Nets tenure appears headed for an end.

After a strong performance in Las Vegas, Brooklyn Nets second-year forward Jalen Wilson was named the 2024 Summer League MVP on Monday.

Wilson averaged 21.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting a scorching 55.0 percent from beyond the arc through five games for the Nets.

Wilson helped lead Brooklyn to a 3-2 record in Las Vegas, which wasn't good enough to contend for a spot in Monday's championship game that features the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies. Despite being named MVP, Wilson was not one of the five players selected to the Summer League first team but earned a second-team selection instead:

A second-round pick in the 2023 draft, Wilson appeared in 43 games as a rookie and averaged 5.0 points in 15.5 minutes of action. The Kansas product's performance in Las Vegas indicates that he's ready for a larger role in his sophomore campaign.

The Nets are in the midst of a rebuild and have a major hole to fill after dealing away star swingman Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks this offseason. Wilson showed that he can be an efficient scorer, so he should have the chance to emerge as a key contributor in Brooklyn's revamped frontcourt that includes newly acquired forward Ziaire Williams.

Wilson isn't putting too much pressure on himself entering his second year, as he told reporters earlier this month that he expects to be more comfortable now that he knows what to expect in the NBA:

The Nets are surely hoping that Wilson will be able to carry his momentum from Summer League into the 2024-25 season. The 23-year-old could be a key member of Brooklyn's future as the franchise enters a new era.

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly acquired 2021 No. 10 overall draft pick Ziaire Williams in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Grizzlies agreed to send Williams and the Dallas Mavericks' 2030 second-round pick to the Nets for Mamadi Diakite and the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubić, who was the No. 54 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Diakite had been dealt to the Nets earlier this month as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn to the New York Knicks.

Per ESPN's Bobby Marks, the trade may have been financially motivated for the Grizzlies, as moving Williams' $6.1 million salary puts them about $10 million under the luxury tax threshold and $14 million under the first apron.

The trade also creates some space for Memphis to re-sign free-agent guard Luke Kennard, which is something the organization has been working on, according to Wojnarowski.

Per Spotrac, the Grizzlies are also about $26.5 million under the second apron, and their current roster for the 2024-25 season is as follows:

• Ja Morant (G)
• Desmond Bane (G)
• Jaren Jackson Jr. (F)
• Marcus Smart (G)
• Brandon Clarke (F)
• John Konchar (G)
• Zach Edey (C)
• Santi Aldama (C)
• Derrick Rose (G)
• Jake LaRavia (F)
• Mamadi Diakite (F)
• Vince Williams Jr. (F)
• G.G. Jackson (F)
• Jaylen Wells (G)

As for the Nets, Spotrac lists them as being $5.1 million under the first apron and $15.9 million under the second apron with the following roster:

• Ben Simmons (G)
• Nic Claxton (C)
• Cameron Johnson (F)
• Bojan Bogdanović (F)
• Dorian Finney-Smith (F)
• Dennis Schröder (G)
• Ziaire Williams (F)
• Cam Thomas (G)
• Day'Ron Sharpe (C)
• Noah Clowney (F)
• Dariq Whitehead (G)
• Shake Milton (G)
• Trendon Watford (F)
• Jalen Wilson (F)

The 22-year-old Williams is a 6'9", 185-pound forward who starred for one season at Stanford before the New Orleans Pelicans made him a lottery pick and flipped him to Memphis.

Over the course of three seasons with the Grizzlies, Williams appeared in 150 regular-season games, starting 50 of them, and averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 three-pointers made in 19.6 minutes per contest, while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from beyond the arc.

With key players such as Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane and Brandon Clarke all missing significant time last season, Williams enjoyed the best statistical campaign of his career.

He averaged a career-high 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.4 minutes per game, although he shot only 39.7 percent from the floor and 30.7 percent from deep.

The injury-riddled Grizzlies were one of the NBA's worst teams last season with a 27-55 record, but they have designs on being much healthier next season and returning to the playoffs, and their roster depth made Williams expendable.

Brooklyn is clearly entering into a rebuild, and Williams should have a chance to play some significant minutes for the team next season.

The opportunities will be even greater if the Nets ship out additional veterans as well. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported last month that the Nets would be open to trading any of Ben Simmons, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanović, Dennis Schröder or Day'Ron Sharpe following the Bridges trade.

Diakite, 27, is a 6'9", 228-pound forward who doesn't figure to be a big part of the Grizzlies' rotation if they decide to keep him.

He has appeared in only 55 NBA regular-season games, and in six games last season split between the San Antonio Spurs and Knicks, he averaged just 2.0 points per contest.

Brooklyn Nets small forward Cam Johnson believes his team has "a lot of potential" if Ben Simmons can stay healthy, per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

"We get a healthy Ben (Simmons) back, and with the stuff we were able to do with him in the lineup last year, I think there's a lot of potential," Johnson said.

A healthy Simmons is a bit of a rare occurrence these days, though, as he has played just 57 games combined over the last two seasons. He's played 60+ games just twice in his career, most recently in 2018.

Simmons was limited to just 15 games last year due to a number of injuries, but mostly back issues. The sixth-year player has dealt with back injuries for most of his young career.

In his limited time on the court last season, Simmons averaged 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists, far from the productive player he was during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers when he averaged near a triple-double for three seasons.

If Simmons is able to remain healthy, Johnson's claim of the Nets having potential could be true, but only time will tell if he can stay on the court.

Brooklyn is coming off a disappointing 32-50 season that saw it miss the postseason and part with head coach Jacque Vaughn. The Nets arguably took a step back this offseason, trading star swingman Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks.

It will take a miraculous season from the Nets to reach the playoffs, but Johnson seems to believe they are capable of doing so.

The Brooklyn Nets revealed several new logos Wednesday that will be used during the 2024-25 NBA season.

In a video on X, the Nets heralded that their "logo set is evolving," and they showed off four new designs:

The Nets delved further into the new logos on their website, explaining the significance of each of them and dubbing them the B-Ball, the Borough B-Ball, the Brooklyn Arch and the Nets Thread.

The B-Ball is a white basketball emblazoned with a black "B," which was the central part of the previous logo. The Nets are now utilizing it as their primary logo.

Meanwhile, the Borough B-Ball is the same as the B-Ball logo, except is has a black border that includes the words "Brooklyn Nets."

A slight change was made to a previous logo to yield the Borough B-Ball, as the old version read "Brooklyn New York" rather than "Brooklyn Nets."

The Brooklyn Arch is simply the word "Brooklyn" in the shape of the arch. It is featured on the front of the Nets' Icon Edition jerseys, and now it is an official team logo.

The newest and most unique logo is the Nets Thread, which the Nets describe as "a throughline of hoops with nods to Brooklyn's unique style and our roots in New Jersey."

It is perhaps fitting that the Nets have a new set of logos since they figure to have a new-look team on the court.

After failing to reach the playoffs last season with a 32-50 record, the Nets decided to trade away their best player this offseason, sending Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a bevy of draft picks, including four unprotected first-rounders and the Milwaukee Bucks' top-four protected first-round selection in 2025.

Brooklyn likely isn't done making moves either, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Ben Simmons, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Bojan Bogdanović, Dennis Schröder and Day'Ron Sharpe are also believed to potentially be available via trade.

The Nets are clearly entering a rebuild, but with so many draft picks at their disposal, they have a chance to retool quickly and ensure their new logos are attached to winning basketball in the not-too-distant future.

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks made it clear that Mikal Bridges didn't request a trade from the team before he was dealt to the New York Knicks.

"I think it's been reported that Mikal wanted to leave or requested a trade but that could not be further from the truth," Marks told reporters on Monday. "That's just not in Mikal's character, that's not who he is, and that definitely did not happen."

Bridges was traded to the Knicks on June 25 for a package that included Bojan Bogdanović, four unprotected first-round picks, and a protected 2025 first-round selection.

It was a hefty return for a player who has yet to make an All-Star appearance in his career, although Bridges reportedly had several other suitors on the trade market. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets were both interested in the swingman prior to the Knicks deal.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews also revealed that the Golden State Warriors made an effort to acquire him.

Bridges seemed to be aware of the rumors surrounding a possible trade request from the team, jokingly referencing them during an Instagram post in which he thanked the Nets organization on Sunday.

The 27-year-old has remained one of the league's most effective two-way players over the past few seasons, growing as an offensive threat with the ball in his hands after he was traded to Brooklyn during his 2022-23 campaign.

In 82 starts last year, Bridges averaged 19.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from behind the arc.

He'll be joining a Knicks team that's expected to compete with the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Bridges will also be reuniting with former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo.

Mikal Bridges thanked the Brooklyn Nets organization in an Instagram post on Sunday following his trade to the New York Knicks.

"You guys showed love from the beginning and honestly helped me expand my game even more," Bridges wrote in the caption, adding that "love is always gonna be there" for the team.

The 27-year-old was acquired by the Knicks in a June 25 trade with the Nets, as New York sent out a package that included Bojan Bogdanović and four unprotected first-round picks in return.

Bridges came to Brooklyn in Feb. 2023 as part of a four-team trade that also resulted in Kevin Durant becoming a member of the Phoenix Suns. He thrived immediately after the move, averaging 26.1 points per game to close out the season with the Nets and finishing No. 4 in Most Improved Player voting.

Throughout 109 total games in Brooklyn, Bridges averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists each night while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three.

With the large amount of draft capital that the Nets received by moving the forward, they'll likely pivot towards a younger roster highlighted by Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas. Brooklyn will also have a new head coach next season after hiring former Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez in April.

As for the Knicks, they'll attempt to build upon a second-round playoff appearance and contend with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. While New York lost center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, the team was still able to re-sign defensive-minded wing OG Anunoby on a five-year deal worth $212.5 million.

Bridges will also be teaming up with several of his former college teammates at Villanova including Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo.

The Brooklyn Nets are acquiring veteran guard Shake Milton in a sign-and-trade deal with the New York Knicks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Milton will sign a three-year, $9 million contract worth over the minimum for the 2024-25 season, which is the only year guaranteed on the deal, per Charania.

The sign-and-trade is part of the Knicks' trade of Mikal Bridges for Bojan Bogdanović and several NBA draft picks.

"The Knicks' preference was always to expand the Bridges trade, according to league sources. The team has modeled scenario after scenario, mapping out ways to avoid a hard cap at the first apron," The Athletic's Fred Katz reported. "When the Knicks and the Nets originally agreed to the deal, New York made it clear it would return at some point with more details, a league source familiar with the negotiation said."

Milton, a midseason acquisition from the Detroit Pistons, made six appearances as a depth option for the Knicks last season.

Milton saw limited use in New York, averaging 4.5 minutes per night during the regular season and 5.5 minutes in four playoff appearances while contributing 16 total points.

But he will end up playing a key role in the Knicks' ability to acquire Bridges as the team worked to solve the salary gap of approximately $4.2 million between Bridges' and Bogdanović's salaries for the 2024-25 season.

The sign-and-trade agreement that will send Milton to Brooklyn will help the Knicks send out enough salary to avoid the first apron of salary cap restrictions, per SNY's Ian Begley and CapSheets' Yossi Gozlan.

In total, the Knicks will reportedly receive both Bridges and veteran forward Keita Bates-Diop in the trade.

The Nets will meanwhile reportedly acquire Bogdanović, Milton and Mamadi Diakite (h/t The Athletic's Fred Katz) alongside draft capital.

Those draft picks include four unprotected first-rounders between 2025 and 2031, a protected first-round pick in 2025, a second-round pick in 2025 and an unprotected pick swap in 2028, per NBA.com.

The Knicks were meanwhile able to hang on to backup guard Miles McBride, who has three years remaining on the extension he signed with the team in December.

The Knicks had "very little interest in trading" McBride, Begley reported.

McBride, who averaged 8.3 points per game in 68 appearances last season before upping his production to 11.0 points through 13 postseason contests, will remain a key part of the Knicks' depth going forward as the team looks to make it past the second round next spring.