The Nets are promoting Jalen Wilson from his two-way contract and will give him a spot on their standard 15-man roster, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that the rookie forward will sign a new three-year deal.
After winning a national title with Kansas in 2022, Wilson led the Jayhawks in scoring (20.1 PPG) and rebounding (8.3 RPG) as a redshirt junior in 2022/23.
He was named a first-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year before entering the 2023 draft, where he was selected with the No. 51 overall pick by the Nets.
Wilson didn’t play much at the NBA level earlier this season but impressed in the G League with the Long Island Nets. He averaged 19.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 33.0 minutes per game across 22 appearances in the Showcase Cup and NBAGL regular season. He posted a shooting line of .471/.380/.745 in those contests.
Wilson’s strong play with Long Island has helped earn him a spot in Brooklyn’s rotation in recent weeks. Since Feb. 6, he has played in all 10 of the Nets’ games, averaging 5.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.5 APG on .444/.500/.667 shooting in 18.9 MPG.
The Nets have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be required to make room for Wilson. Once his promotion is official, the club will have an open two-way slot and will face a March 4 deadline to fill it.
Brooklyn will use a portion of its mid-level exception to sign Wilson to a contract exceeding two seasons. Additional details on the deal aren’t yet known.
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