Nets’ Trendon Watford Sheds Light on Upcoming Free Agency

Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford wants to get what he “deserves” in unrestricted free agency this summer, but is seemingly prioritizing his current team. 

“Having a consistent role these past two years, I think I’ve been able to show not only my organization, but even other organizations putting my name out there and earning respect on my name,” he said. “I know how it goes, and I know it’s a business, but I enjoyed this. I enjoyed the group and I enjoyed being here.”

Watford averaged a career-high 10.2 points and 2.6 assists in 20.8 minutes per game this season. It was his fourth year in the league and his second in Brooklyn.

“I ain’t gonna say it feels good, but [I’m] just glad I was able to get through another season in the NBA, just living out my dream,” the 24-year-old said. “This was one of the toughest years to start off the year [and] getting injured again in December, and coming back and just playing a lot of games [...] so it was definitely a challenging year.” 

Watford only featured in 44 of the Nets’ games this season. He missed Brooklyn’s first 13 games of the season due to a hamstring injury, only making his debut under head coach Jordi Fernández in mid-November. Watford then suffered another hamstring strain in December and missed 21 games. He addressed his relationship with Fernández.

Watford said: “It was great. When he got the job this summer, he reached out to me immediately, and this was before I even signed back. We built a relationship and to see our relationship where it’s at now, it’s been great.”

The first-year Nets head coach has praised Watford on multiple occasions this season. Fernández lauded the former LSU forward’s “multipositional” ability and added that it was a “privilege to have a player” who can equally run pick-and-rolls, play off-ball or post-up. Watford was effectively utilized as a point forward by the Brooklyn bench boss.

“He’s a coach that pushes you and that’s how I need to be,” Watford said about Fernández. “I think we all enjoyed it. His play style was obviously different from the [coaches] that [were] here last year and from what we knew.” 

Watford penned a one-year, $2.73 million qualifying offer with the Nets last season, opening up the road to unrestricted free agency this summer. Sportrac predicts that Watford “could be another short-term re-signing for the Nets, but it won’t be for much more than a minimum deal.”