The Nets have reached a free agent agreement with forward T.J. Warren and will sign him to a one-year contract, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The terms of the deal are not yet known. Brooklyn has not used its taxpayer mid-level exception yet and could offer Warren any amount between his minimum ($2.6M) and the full taxpayer MLE ($6.5M).
Warren, who will turn 29 in September, has averaged 15.5 PPG on .507/.357/.780 shooting in 332 regular season games since entering the NBA as the 14th overall pick in 2014. However, he has missed nearly two full seasons due to left foot problems, playing just four times in 2020-21 and then sitting out the entire ’21-22 campaign.
Reports have indicated that Warren is fully recovered heading into 2022/23, and in his last full season (’19-20) he put up 19.8 PPG with a .536/.403/.819 shooting line, making him an intriguing flier in free agency this offseason. He’ll likely have to shake off some rust, but if he is back to 100 percent, he is an explosive scorer capable of creating matchup problems for opposing defenses.
It is unclear what Warren’s role will look like in Brooklyn, where the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving situations remain very much in flux. His place on the depth chart will hinge on whether Durant is moved and what the Nets get back in any deal for the former MVP.
The Nets have now made deals this summer to add both scoring and defense on the wing, having also acquired forward Royce O’Neale from Utah in exchange for a first-round pick.
Warren began the offseason as the No. 50 free agent on our top-50 list and moved up to No. 46 after a few players exercised options.
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