NEW YORK — The Nets have agreed to a two-year, $18 million guaranteed deal with free-agent guard Keon Ellis, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, adding a defensive-minded rotation player who fills one of the team’s clearest backcourt needs.
Ellis, 26, gives the Nets a point-of-attack defender with 3-point shooting ability and some secondary ball-handling. He’s expected to compete for a rotation role off the bench next season.
The move also reunites Ellis with Nets head coach Jordi Fernández, who was an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings while Ellis developed from an undrafted free agent into an NBA rotation player. Ellis had been widely speculated as a potential Nets target because of that connection and Brooklyn’s need for more perimeter defense.
Ellis spent last season with the Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers. His value is tied to his ability to defend opposing guards, pressure the ball, navigate screens and play without needing many touches. That skill set should have immediate utility in Brooklyn.
The Nets’ projected roster includes Mikel Brown Jr., Egor Dëmin, Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle and Day’Ron Sharpe, with Ellis, Nolan Traoré, Josh Minott, Noah Clowney and Danny Wolf among the second-unit options. Ben Saraf, Drake Powell, Terance Mann, Joshua Jefferson, Tyler Bilodeau, Chaney Johnson and Malachi Smith are also on the roster. Bilodeau and Johnson are on two-way contracts, while Smith is non-guaranteed.
Brooklyn effectively chose Ellis at $9 million annually over Ziaire Williams at $6 million annually, prioritizing a more well-rounded rotation guard over a longer, more speculative wing. Williams offered size, athleticism and defensive upside, but Ellis brings a more solidified NBA role because of his guard defense, shooting and ability to handle the ball in secondary actions.
According to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron, the Nets still project to have about $34.74 million in cap space, $153.2 million in total salary, 15 players rostered and the $9.4 million room mid-level exception available. Brooklyn isn’t currently projected to be hard-capped, though Gozlan noted that acquiring Randle for Nic Claxton as an over-the-cap team would hard-cap the franchise.
That cap position leaves the Nets with room to absorb salary in trades or help facilitate larger deals around the league.
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