Lewis: Nets pick Jaylen Hands signing with Long Island

As expected, Jaylen Hands is heading to the Long Island Nets. Brian Lewis broke the story on Twitter...

The Nets haven’t officially announced the move.

The former UCLA point guard, taken with the 56th pick, will presumably sign under the “Draft Rights Player” rule, which allows NBA teams to draft players then sign them directly to NBA G League contracts. He will be paid directly by the G League, not the Nets.

Under the rule, the contract will not count against either the Brooklyn roster or the salary cap In other words, Hands will become a domestic stash for the Brooklyn Nets.In addition, Hands can not be called up by another NBA team under the rule. The Nets now have six draft stashes with the addition of Hands. The other five are playing in Europe and include two, Aaron White and Nemanja Dangubic, who were acquired in July in the DeMarre Carroll sign-and-trade.

Hands, who was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, spent two seasons at UCLA, playing in a total of 64 games. The 6’3” point guard averaged 28.3 minutes, 12.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds during his time with UCLA. He earned Second-team All-Pac-12 honors for the 2018-19 season.

He was one of the most sought-after high school players in 2017, ranked 20th overall by high school recruiting services, ahead of current NBA players Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

There is a chance Hands can be elevated to a two-way player, joining Henry Ellenson as the Nets two-way players. Theo Pinson, who is on a standard deal with Brooklyn and Alan Williams, who is playing in Russia, were the Nets two-way players last season.