The Brooklyn Nets have added another piece to their 2026 draft class, signing forward Joshua Jefferson to a multi-year contract on July 10, 2026.
Jefferson was the 28th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and Brooklyn locked him in after a college career that stretched across Saint Mary’s and Iowa State. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward spent four seasons in college, playing at Saint Mary’s from 2022-24 before moving to Iowa State from 2024-26.
Over 130 college games, including 96 starts, Jefferson put up career averages of 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 23.4 minutes per game. He shot 48.3 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from 3-point range and 72.2 percent from the free throw line.
His best stretch came in his two seasons as an upperclassman at Iowa State, where he started all 70 games and averaged 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals in 30.3 minutes per game. That run earned him consensus 2025-26 All-America Second Team honors, All-Big 12 First Team recognition and a spot as a Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year finalist.
Jefferson’s senior year was especially productive. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 30.8 minutes per game, and he finished with 34 games of at least 10 points, the third most in Cyclone program history.
The season also included a pair of triple-doubles, which led all of Division I. In the process, Jefferson became the first player in Big 12 history to record multiple triple-doubles in conference play in a season.
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Joshua Jefferson Just Got His First Real Nets Test
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For Jefferson, it was also his first competitive game since March after an injury interrupted his spring and kept him from even getting practice reps. He sounded confident about how his game can translate into Brooklyns rotation, especially with the way he sees the floor and keeps the ball moving, but the bigger question is where that skill set fits once the roster is set and the minutes start getting divided up. [Read more 🡒]
