The Brooklyn Nets have added six new veterans -- one of the them on a two-way contract -- with a focus on the frontcourt and shoring up rebounding for the 2018-19 season.
ED DAVIS • CENTER • 6-10 • 225
LAST SEASON: 5.3 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 58.2 FG% (Portland Trail Blazers)
Within days of news breaking that Ed Davis was signing with the Nets, his former Portland teammates were lamenting his departure on social media. Within a few weeks of starting informal workouts in Brooklyn, the Nets were raving about their new teammate. Davis' game is built on things that make good impressions in his own locker room: relentless rebounding, solid screens, unselfishness ... and some veteran wisdom for good measure. For the Nets, who rarely used a backup center taller than 6-8 over the second half of last season, Davis fills a huge need. He's a reliable, proven veteran who can give Brooklyn 20-25 minutes per night in tandem with starter Jarrett Allen and bring consistency to the position.
JARED DUDLEY • FORWARD • 6-7 • 237
LAST SEASON: 3.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 36.3 3PT% (Phoenix Suns)
Back in the summer of 2016, Jared Dudley strongly considered signing with the Nets, but a third year on the contract offer from the Suns helped pull him back to Phoenix. Now, he's spending that third year in Brooklyn anyway. The Nets restocked their frontcourt with options, different players with different specialties. Dudley's is clear: he's a 39.6 career 3-point shooter, and that's a fit for a team that likes shooting at the four spot to space the floor. The 12th-year veteran is also the oldest player on the team at 33, and that brings some needed experience to one of the younger teams in the league.
KENNETH FARIED • FORWARD • 6-8 • 220
LAST SEASON: 5.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 51.4 FG% (Denver Nuggets)
As a regular starter in Denver during his first six seasons in the league, Kenneth Faried stood out for his high-octane style that manifested largely in some big rebounding numbers. He's averaged 8.2 per game for his career, has a 54.3 career field goal percentage, and averaged double-figure scoring in each of his first five years. Here in Brooklyn, he's part of a wide net Brooklyn cast to solve last season's rebounding issues, along with Ed Davis and Alan Williams.
SHABAZZ NAPIER • GUARD • 6-1 • 180
LAST SEASON: 8.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 37.6 3PT% (Portland Trail Blazers)
Shabazz Napier enters his fifth season coming off his strongest pro campaign. He played 74 games, starting 10, in a Portland backcourt fronted by stars Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. He brings quality depth to the point guard spot, where injuries left the Nets adapting in each of the last two years. Napier's 3-point shooting is a plus, and the Nets think he can bring some pressure to their defense. He joins two former Trail Blazers teammates in Brooklyn, Allen Crabbe and Ed Davis.
TREVEON GRAHAM • FORWARD • 6-5 • 225
LAST SEASON: 4.3 PPG, 43.4 3PT% (Charlotte Hornets)
From a modest beginning, Treveon Graham has been ascending slowly but steadily as a pro. Undrafted out of Virginia Commonwealth, he played a year in the G League, then earned a spot with the Charlotte Hornets in 2016-17. He played sparingly that season, but last year averaged 16.7 minutes per game. In 90 NBA games, Graham is shooting 43.4 percent from 3-point range.
ALAN WILLIAMS • FORWARD/CENTER • 6-8 • 265
LAST SEASON: 4.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG (Phoenix Suns)
Fourth-year forward Alan Williams was signed to a two-way contract and will split time between Brooklyn and the G League Long Island Nets. He was limited to five games with Phoenix last year after coming back from a knee injury, and has played just 62 games over three NBA seasons. But he's been a prodigious rebounder in limited minutes, with a per 36 rebounding rate of 15.0.