Keon Ellis didn’t need much convincing to land in Brooklyn. The new Nets guard said the team’s interest, along with familiar faces on the staff and a clear path to opportunity, made the decision come together quickly in free agency.
“How much they wanted me. I think other teams were kind of offering, but I think just with how much they were offering that kind of just speaks to how much the team wants you as well,” Ellis said to the media during halftime of Brooklyn's 83-76 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday. Ellis signed a two-year, $18 million guaranteed deal with the Nets, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
“Obviously you've got some guys on the staff that you've been with before, so you kind of know the ropes a little bit,” Ellis continued. “And then the opportunity here as well. So, when you combine all those things, I think they just lined up.”
Ellis, 26, arrives after a 2025-26 NBA season that saw him put up 6.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 44.0% from the field and 36.3% from three in 72 games. He split the year between the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers, and his numbers picked up with Cleveland, where his role was larger.
Brooklyn is adding him to a crowded backcourt. Egor Demin is likely to open as the starting shooting guard, while Nolan Traore and Mikel Brown Jr. are competing for the starting point guard job. Ellis is viewed as one of the league’s better 3-and-D players, and the Nets are counting on that skill set to fit into a young roster.
In Other News...
Nets Fans Can Finally Dream Big About This Offseason Trade
Brooklyns decision to swap Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr. and a far-off first-round pick has already given the Nets something they have lacked in recent seasons: a move that can be defended on both the present and the future. Porter has stepped into a bigger offensive role and has handled it well, giving the Nets a scorer who fits into their long-term plans while also keeping the return package from that deal in play.
The other part of the equation is the pick, and that is where the trade still has real upside for Brooklyn. A 2032 unprotected first-rounder is the kind of asset that can look ordinary for years before suddenly becoming the centerpiece of a rebuild, and Denvers current trajectory only adds to the intrigue. If the Nuggets are still searching for their footing down the road, that selection could end up mattering far more than it does today. [Read more 🡒]
Former Nets Wing Ziaire Williams Is Already Off The Board
Ziaire Williams time on the open market did not last long after his season in Brooklyn, where the wing gave the Nets a useful scoring jolt and showed enough two-way value to keep his name in circulation. He averaged 10.2 points per game last season, and now he is headed to a new situation after landing a one-year, $3 million deal.
For the Nets, it is another reminder of how quickly rotation wings can move once free agency opens and how much attention a productive year can generate. Williams next stop also comes with its own roster ripple effect, since the move helps lock in a full 15-man group and leaves the rest of the offseason to trades or two-way additions, with the Lakers still working through bigger decisions around the rest of their wing and frontcourt mix. [Read more 🡒]
Mikel Brown Jr. Faces First Real Test Of Nets Expectations
Mikel Brown Jr. has already given Brooklyn a glimpse of why he went sixth overall, and now the Nets are set to get a better read on him in a Summer League matchup that carries a little extra draft-night juice. Sacramento guard Darius Acuff Jr., taken right behind him at No. 7, is on the other side, turning this into the kind of rookie-on-rookie test that usually tells you more about where each player stands than any box score ever could.
Brown flashed in his lone appearance with 20 points against the Knicks before sitting out the second night of a back-to-back, while Acuff has been trying to find a rhythm after a slower start in Vegas. The Kings already beat Brooklyn once in Salt Lake City when Brown was out, and the Nets could have a different look this time if more of their first-round talent is available, which makes the matchup even more interesting for a roster still sorting out its summer pecking order. [Read more 🡒]