Nets Waive Tosan Evbuomwan: What Move Is Next for Brooklyn?

Last season, Evbuomwan averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while appearing in 28 contests. During a game against the Utah Jazz in January, he scored a career-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds and an assist while shooting 87.5% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc.

The former Princeton Tiger also played with the Nets during the Las Vegas Summer League, where he led the team with 2.7 steals per game while averaging 11 points and 4.7 rebounds.

He also spent time with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Through 13 games there,
Evbuomwan averaged 19.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 47.7% from the field and 37.5% from three.

What Is Brooklyn’s Next Move?

With the recent acquisition of Haywood Highsmith, the Nets had 21 total players on the roster, the exact limit of players that can be brought to camp. 

After waiving Evbuomwan, the Nets have room to add one more player. While Brooklyn is viewed as a prime salary-dump candidate, the possibility of Cam Thomas returning also still looms. 

With a reported asking price between $30 and $40 million, Thomas and the organization don’t seem to have made much progress in negotiations. Besides their one-year $5.99 million qualifying offer, NBA insider explained that Brooklyn also offered a contract of around two years and $28 million ($14 million a year). 

If the Nets are unable to retain Thomas, they could potentially do business with teams like the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks that are viewed as teams who are looking to shed some salary to get under the luxury tax.

For the Celtics, one player who stands out is Anfernee Simons. As Boston prepares to enter the season over the luxury tax and without Jayson Tatum, getting rid of Simons' $27 million annual salary could give the Celtics some breathing room as they build their team for the future. In Dallas' case, Olivier-Maxence Prosper is viewed as a trade candidate as they also try to free up some cap space.

Ultimately, Brooklyn's decision to pursue new players would likely be directly correlated to whether Cam Thomas will return or not.