Less than 24 hours after the Nets announced they waived Gary Forbes, they have now gone and announced the signing of a 6'7" rookie forward out of the University of Memphis, Adonis Thomas. The contract is non-guaranteed.
Thomas left Memphis after his sophomore season and went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft. He averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in his last season at Memphis. He's been a disappointment after a terrific high school career that saw him play in all the major high school all-star games.
As noted by DraftExpress, Thomas has a 7'1" wingspan and 40.5" max vertical and can hit from deep, shooting 40 percent beyond the arc his freshman year. But he regressed in his sophomore year at Memphis. In July, NBADraft.net listed Thomas as one its Top Ten Undrafted Players. He says he models his game after Joe Johnson.
The 20-year-old was signed to the Atlanta Hawks training camp roster, but was waived on Monday, after appearing in just one game. Take a look at what he's capable of.
Well, yeah, he can jump alright.
The Nets now have 18 players on their roster, with 15 guaranteed contracts. So, with a full roster, why would they sign Thomas? Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports explains:
You'll see a run of teams signing prospects (Nets, w/ Adonis Thomas) so they'll own their rights for D-League assignments upon cutting them.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) October 18, 2013
Best case scenario would seem to be Thomas playing in the D-League for the Nets' affiliate. Under D-League rules, the Armor will have exclusive D-League rights to the last three players cut by the Nets, unless the players' rights are already held by another D-League club. That's the case with Chris Johnson and Jorge Gutierrez. Johnson's rights are held by Rio Grande Valley and Gutierrez's by Canton. The only way the Armor can get ahold of their rights is to trade for them. The Armor have the third pick overall in the D-League Draft next month.
- Brooklyn Nets Sign Adonis Thomas - Brooklyn Nets
- Nets sign Adonis Thomas - Devin Kharpertian - The Brooklyn Game
- D League Bound: Nets Sign Adonis Thomas - Ian Parfrey - Brooklyn Fans
- Nets sign Adonis Thomas to training camp roster - SNY Nets
More from NetsDaily:
- Jason Kidd jersey retirement ceremony all about team
- Bogdanovic opens Euroleague play with a bang
- Nets waive Gary Forbes, leaving only Chris Johnson and Jorge Gutierrez among camp invites
- On a special night for Jason Kidd, the Nets defeat the Heat, 82-62
- 2nd Half Game Thread: Brooklyn Nets vs. Miami Heat