Isaia Cordinier waits on Nets as he gets ready for French League

Isaia Cordinier was generally happy with his Summer League performance, which as it turns out was his second time in Las Vegas. Three years ago, after being drafted by the Hawks in the second round, he averaged 3.2 points, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals.

In the just concluded league, the 6’5” guard did a lot better. It wasn’t just his overall stats — 7.0 points and 3.6 rebounds— but his improvement over the six games.

“It was weird for me to return to compete in this competition two years after my last appearance,” the 22-year-old told Le Parisien of France. “I was a little tense at first but I found a release at the end. It was cool ... and I was able to show what I was capable of, offensively and especially defensively. I only remember the positives of the Summer League.”

Indeed, Cordinier, whose rights the Nets picked up in last year’s Jeremy Lin trade, finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting —3-of-4 from three — in the fourth game of league play. He also grabbed three rebounds, stole the ball twice and blocked two shots. In short, he dominated in Brooklyn’s 20-point win over Detroit and had the game’s highlight.

He didn’t play well in the Nets final game, but he was not alone.

In addition to playing well, Cordinier also proved to the Nets that he’s recovered from his double knee surgery a year ago, which he undertook to cure tendinitis. “Brooklyn wanted to see where I was, what was my evolution since the operation,” he said.

Cordinier said that he joined the Nets in Brooklyn in mid-June, not long after the French League ended, to prepare for the Summer League. And before that, he spent a few days in Madrid working out with the Nets European shooting coach Stefan Weissenboeck.

Now, he’s told the French paper he’s waiting on the Nets. Although Cordinier signed a three-year deal with Nanterre in French League on June 6, he has an “out” if the Nets want to sign him. He told Le Parisien that the Nets can sign him up until July 31 without compensating Nanterre.

The Nets currently have four spots open: a two-way deal or one of the team’s three Exhibit 10 contracts, camp invites that can be converted to G League contracts. As a second round pick, the Nets can also sign Cordinier directly to what is known in the G League as a “Draft Rights Player.” Under that arrangement, NBA teams retain their rights to a prospect who plays his games in the G League.

He said the Nets were happy with his performance, but he doesn’t know more than that. “For the moment, I consider myself a Nanterre player, I am preparing to play with them and I am very happy,” says Cordinier. “In any case, I will be delighted with what awaits me. My goal is to go to the NBA and I will do anything to reach it sooner or later. “