Nets agree to deal with Chinese prospect

Zeng has been one of the best young players in the Chinese Basketball Association over the past few seasons. The 22-year-old big man averaged 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks for the Beijing Ducks across 37 games last year. With his 6’10” frame and a near-40% career shooting clip from deep, Zeng projects to be a versatile stretch big man who can adequately protect the rim.

Zeng joins a Nets roster that just added several rookies of foreign descent in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Nets selected Russian point forward Egor Demin with the eighth overall pick and French guard Nolan Traore 11 picks later. Brooklyn also picked Ben Seraf (26th) and Danny Wolf (27th), who have both played for Israel internationally.

The addition of Zeng pushes the Nets’ roster number to 20. The team is allowed to carry as many as 21 players in the offseason, but must trim the main roster to 15 once the season rolls around. Brooklyn can also offer him one of their three two-way roster spots.

Zeng joined the now-defunct G League for their 2021-22 season. He played sparingly, averaging just 5.0 points and 2.2 rebounds across 19 games for the developmental squad. He moved back to China after going undrafted in 2022.