Nets Reward Rising 6-Foot-8 Rookie With New Contract

Getty Kessler Edwards signed a new deal.

The Brooklyn Nets are locked into the NBA play-in tournament and will get things started against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ahead of the end of the regular season, the team announced they signed rookie Kessler Edwards to a new deal, converting him from the two-way contract he was on all year.

At the time it wasn’t disclosed how long it was for, but on April 10 it was announced he’d be here for two years, and that includes a team option for the next season.

After receiving sporadic playing time and going back and forth between Long Island and Brooklyn, the second round rookie is preparing to play a big role in the playoffs.

Although he’s just a rookie, it’s the clear the Nets see big things in him, and that’s why they rewarded him with a new deal.

Edwards Get Security

GettyThe Brooklyn Nets have converted the two-way deal.

Second round draft picks don’t always stick around in the NBA, but it looks like Edwards has found a way to buck that trend and latch on to a team, and a championship contender at that.

“The Brooklyn Nets have signed two-way forward Kessler Edwards to a standard NBA contract,” the Nets announced. “Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.”

On the season, Edwards averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds, meaning that while he doesn’t put up world beating numbers, he can play a pivotal role. The team also notes that his 22 starts are the most starts for a rookie selected 44th or lower in Nets history.

With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant drawing a lot of attention on offense, Edwards can get some easy shots at the rim or beyond the arc.

As rotations get tightened up in the playoffs, he might not be seeing 20 minutes a game against the top teams, but he could still get some run and play a important role.

Nets Have Big Expectations

GettyBen Simmons is still waiting on making his debut.

Although the Nets are going into the playoffs as the 7th seed and have to beat the Cavaliers to properly earn a spot, this is still a team that’s built to win a championship.

Mid-season addition Ben Simmons still hasn’t joined the team, but there is some optimism within the organization that he could arrive and help the team compete for a title.

Simmons hasn’t appeared in a game all season, but if he comes back, he’d form a new big three with himself, Durant and Irving. While Simmons isn’t known for his scoring prowess, he can still play a big role for a team. With the Nets, he isn’t going to be needed for his scoring as the two other stars are there for that, so he could instead do what he does best which is his defense and playmaking.

Of course, there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready for the playoffs at all, so this whole discussion might be for nothing. At the very least, both Andre Drummond and Seth Curry, two players who also came over in the deal, are going to play a big role for the team.

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