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The Nets and Cleveland shooting guard David Nwaba have agreed to a two-year deal, according to Shams Charania, who broke the news in a tweet...
Free agent guard David Nwaba has agreed to a two-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 14, 2019
Nwaba, 26, was an unrestricted free agent. The Nets likely signed him using the vets minimum having exhausted their cap space and exceptions. Nwaba, a strong, athletic 6’4” guard, has career averages of 7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in 21.5 minutes a game. He has been an average three-point shooter, hitting 32.6 percent in his three seasons in the NBA. His calling card, however, is defense, which is helped by his 7’ wingspan.
Our Pacer sister site, Indy Cornrows, wrote earlier this month about how Nwaba would be a good defensive fit in Indianapolis...
According to Krishna Narshu’s data, only 24 players in the league last season defended a wider range of positions than the undrafted product out of Cal Poly, who spent nearly the same percentage of his defensive possessions against ones and twos (41.4 percent) as he did threes and fours (50.3). Per the NBA’s match-up stats, genetically-gifted power forwards and top-flight swingmen took the brunt of his physicality, with Ben Simmons, LeBron James, Aaron Gordon, Jimmy Butler, and Jaylen Brown all ranking among his 10-most frequent assignments during the regular season. Among those names, only James and Butler registered a field goal percentage above 35 percent from the field with Nwaba as the nearest defender, and the group as a whole shot a tepid 19-of-47 (40 percent) on 175 possessions.
Nwaba’s contract will have a team option in the second year, Michael Scotto reports. Scotto noted a number of other teams had been interested.
The Brooklyn Nets have a team option on Year 2 of their deal with David Nwaba, league sources told @TheAthleticNBA. Nwaba also had interest from the Pacers, Kings, Rockets and Suns. https://t.co/8G4SZbM8VR
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 14, 2019
Bobby Marks laid out the specifics...
The David Nwaba contract in Brooklyn is for: $1.7M and $1.8M (veteran minimum for both years). The second year has a July 7 trigger date. The guaranteed date gives Brooklyn flexibility compared to putting a 6/29 option date. The roster in BKN is now at 15 guaranteed contracts.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 14, 2019
Kristian Winfield of the Daily News tweeted that the signing was a “textbook Nets signing”...
I like this a lot. Nwaba is tough, can defend at a high level and has worked on his shot. This is a textbook Nets signing. https://t.co/B37bX5QyoQ
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) July 14, 2019
Nwaba was undrafted out of Cal Poly in 2016, tried out for the Reno Bighorns of the G League and eventually made his way to the Lakers. He’s played for Chicago and Cleveland the last two seasons. He wrote about his journey from undrafted to the NBA in a Players Tribune posting back in 2017.
Barring any surprise moves, signing Nwaba would complete the Nets 2019-20 roster. When he signs, Nwaba will fill the 15th and last spot on the roster, other than the two two-way deals.
- Nets sign David Nwaba to complete new-look roster - Brian Lewis - New York Post