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The Brooklyn Nets have been moving in a different direction ever since they traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks last month for as many as five first-round picks and three players. Now that Brooklyn is rebuilding, the franchise is prioritizing youth and player development and they continued that trend with their latest signing.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Thursday that the Nets signed former Detroit Pistons guard Killian Hayes to a one-year deal. As Scotto noted in his post on X, it seems like Hayes is getting the contract to see how he looks in training camp and he could be on the team beyond that point if he plays well.
Erik Slater of ClutchPoints reported earlier this month that Brooklyn attended a workout for Hayes while the team was in Las Vegas for the summer league. So, it seems that whatever Hayes showed in that workout was enough to convince the Nets to take a flier on him as the organization embarks upon its latest rebuild.
Hayes, 22, was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons, but he has not lived up to the billing that comes with being drafted that high. In four seasons since coming over after playing professional basketball in Germany, Hayes has averaged 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 38,2% from the field and 27.7% from three-point land.
To put those numbers in context with his draft class, Hayes ranks 21st (out of 60 players) in points per game, third in assists per game, 49th in field-goal percentage, and 43rd in three-point percentage. With that being said, Hayes was waived by the Pistons in February and had been a free-agent since Detroit released him.
As @erikslater_ of ClutchPoints reported earlier this month, the Nets attended Killian Hayes’ workout while in Las Vegas. Hayes was the 7th overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft and is 3rd in assists per game (5.2) in his draft class. He could be a steal if he pans out in camp. https://t.co/8ULJbwrxVk
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) July 25, 2024