July 12, 2026, 1:26 p.m. ET
LAS VEGAS — Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Ellis could have signed anywhere in free-agency this offseason after experiencing a deep playoff run with the Cleveland Cavaliers just a few months ago. Brooklyn has been looking to add quality depth to the team over the course of the free-agency period and after they signed Ellis, he explained what led to his decision to come to the Nets.
“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, is coming off a 2025-26 NBA season in which he averaged 6.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 44.0% from the field and 36.3% from behind the three-point line in 72 games played. Ellis split last season between the Sacramento Kings and Cavaliers, but he had better production with Cleveland given that he had a bigger role for them than he did for Sacramento.
Ellis joins a crowded backcourt for the Nets as Egor Demin is likely slated to be the starting shooting guard with Nolan Traore and Mikel Brown Jr. competing for the starting point guard job. Ellis, regarded as one of the better 3-and-D players in the league, should be able to bring his valuable skillset to one of the youngest teams in the Association and make his impact the way he anticipated when he signed with the Nets in the first place.
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