The Brooklyn Nets are making some significant additions to their roster in the final stretch of the 2024-25 season.
According to ESPN's Sham Charania, the Brooklyn Nets are signing former lottery pick Killian Hayes to a 10-day contract, waiving Bojan Bogdanovic in the process.
The Brooklyn Nets are finalizing a 10-day contract with former No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes, agent Yann Balikouzou tells ESPN. Hayes went to training camp in Brooklyn and has played for Nets' Long Island NBA G League, averaging 21 points and 8.3 assists. pic.twitter.com/vMpg9dnIuR
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 19, 2025
Hayes, who was selected No.7 overall by the Detroit Piston in the 2020 draft, spent most of this season with the Nets' G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets and it seems he's getting another shot in the NBA.
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The Brooklyn Nets take a chance on former top draft pick
The Brooklyn Nets aren't prioritizing wins at the moment. With a 20-34 record at the All-Star break, they are going all in on tanking, and this recent signing shows precisely that. Despite starting the season strong under new head coach Jodi Fernandez, the team has significantly cooled and is looking to land a high draft pick in this year's draft.
This presents a good opportunity for Hayes to prove he's a quality NBA player. Throughout his four years in Detroit, Hayes averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 27.7 percent from 3-point range. He's averaging 16.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game in 29 appearances this season in the G League with Long Island. He's always been a strong defender, the question is whether he can shoot well enough to keep the defense honest.
With the right amount of playing time, Hayes can still develop into a very good basketball player. He is still very young at 23 and has always shown flashes solid play throughout his time in Detroit but he needs to put it together if he hopes to stick around in the long run.