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Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Nets have signed Alan Williams, a 6’8”, 265-pound center/power forward, to a two-way deal. Williams is the Nets 19th player and the first confirmed two-way player. As a two-way player, the 25-year-old will play primarily for the Long Island Nets, but his NBA rights will be held by Brooklyn.
Former Sun Alan Williams has agreed to a two-way deal with the Nets, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 14, 2018
The move was immediately praised by Jared Dudley who was teammate of Williams the last two years at Phoenix.
Def a NBA player.. Once he shows he’s healthy he’ll be on a team by end of the year. His energy, rebounding , and being a good teammate are crucial for any locker room! https://t.co/q9vKgi5370
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) September 14, 2018
Keith Smith of RealGM agreed...
This is a big time get for the Nets on a Two-Way contract. Williams should be on a standard deal for sure. He'd lead the NBA in rebounding with enough minutes. One of the best rebounders in the game. https://t.co/H1zwUpsSgl
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) September 14, 2018
Indeed, Williams has averaged 15 rebounds per 36 minutes over his three year NBA career.
Williams was waived by the Suns on July 2 following a season lost to a partially torn meniscus. He had been signed a year earlier to a multi-year deal with options following a breakout season in 2016-17.
Williams played only five games with the Suns last season —and three games with their G-League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns — but had been highly productive in 2016-17.
The Suns’ 2016-17 Majerle Hustle Award winner, Williams averaged 11.4 points on 51.4 percent shooting plus 9.1 rebounds with 12 double-doubles in 24 games after the All-Star break that year.
Over the course of 47 games, all off the bench, that year, Williams led the Suns with 15 double-doubles overall and ranked third in the NBA with 15 double-doubles off the bench. Playing in his second NBA season, the 24-year-old averaged career-bests of 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in 47 total games.
A UC Santa Barbara product, Williams is known as “Big Sauce.” He went undrafted in the 2015 Draft and after summer league stints with the Hornets and Rockets, he signed with the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association. He led the CBA with an average of 15.4 rebounds, in addition to scoring 20.8 per contest.
Following the CBA season, Williams was signed by the Suns first to a 10-day contract, then for the rest of the season. After a second solid summer league in 2016, he was retained by the Suns, ultimately signing the multi-year deal in the summer.
Williams becomes the fourth training camp invite, joining Theo Pinson, Jordan McLaughlin and Mitch Creek. The Nets can sign one more camp invite, if they choose.
The Phoenix native is the son of Jeri Williams, the city’s police chief.
- Nets add low-risk, high-reward big man as camp approaches - Brian Lewis - New York Post
- Nets add former Suns big man Alan Williams on two-way contract, source says - Greg Logan - Newsday
- Report: Former Sun Alan Williams agrees to two-way deal with the Nets - Arizona Sports