The Brooklyn Nets did not trade away any player at the 2026 trade deadline. After the constant rumors swirling around Michael Porter Jr. \u2014 not to mention the chaotic departures of James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant in deadlines past \u2014 it was a nice, calm week in the borough.<\/p>\n
The Nets, however, did waive three players, including Cam Thomas. On Sunday afternoon, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Thomas would sign with the Milwaukee Bucks\u2026<\/p>\n
It was a deadline befitting a rebuilding team, with some minor shuffling around the margins, including two low-stakes acquisitions that hardly cost a thing. About a century after the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $100,000, the Boston Celtics sent Josh Minott to Brooklyn for the minimum $110,000 of cash considerations.<\/p>\n
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The Nets also traded for Ochai Agbaji and his expiring salary, which also earned them a 2032 second-round pick and $3.5 million in cash considerations. Both Minott and Agbaji play on the wing, low-usage off-ball guys who, at their best, hit spot-up threes while defending and filling lanes with a passion. Recall August of 2024, when the Nets took on Ziaire Williams \u2014 and a future second \u2014 as a salary-dump from the Memphis Grizzlies, a trade that\u2019s worked out pretty well for Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
Minott played 526 minutes with the Celtics this season, more than he had played in his first three seasons combined with Minnesota Timberwolves. The #45 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Minott spent plenty of time with the G League\u2019s Iowa Wolves, until this past summer, when he signed with Boston. And to begin this season, the 23-year-old flashed real defensive and spot-up ability, though Jordan Walsh ultimately supplanted him in the rotation\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say I kind of line up perfectly with, just like, the core values here in terms of defensive pressure and, you know, just being disruptive on the defensive end,\u201d said Minott in his introductory presser in Brooklyn. \u201cAdditionally, I feel like my shooting has come such a long way for sure. I feel like that\u2019s something I can confidently list as one of my strengths, and I know they believe in taking the right and open shots here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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He sounds like a Net already! Not to mention that, despite a career-best season, Minott is still a fringe-rotation player on a $2.5 million contract with a team option for next season. Making a good impression over the final two months of Brooklyn\u2019s season could go a long way.<\/p>\n
When asked why he felt he\u2019d excelled in Boston, Minott said, \u201cI\u2019d say it was just the hunger I was playing with. That\u2019s something I\u2019m planning on definitely bringing here, just the hunger and desperation. I feel like that\u2019s something that the organization will definitely value considering, like I said, their core principles of defensive, their mindset of just disruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minott was born in Florida but plays for the Jamaican national team, and some folks call him \u2018Why Not\u2019, not only because it fits as a personal mantra but because it\u2019s also a reminder on how to pronounce his last name. If Minott makes his first few 3-pointers in Brooklyn, you\u2019ll be wondering how the hell Sean Marks nabbed him for free. If he starts out cold, not so much. But the man can really defend\u2026<\/p>\n
Ochai Agbaji arrives with striking similarities. He was selected by the Cavaliers at #14 in the 2022 NBA Draft Lottery, then was traded to the Utah Jazz in the Donovan Mitchell deal before his debut. Then a trade to the Raptors, and finally, a trade to Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
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He had by far the best season of his career last year, mainly because he shot 39.9% from three on decent volume\u2026he\u2019s down to 18.5% this season, though his minutes were quite sporadic in Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s just a matter of rhythm, really finding that rhythm,\u201d said Agbaji in his introduction. \u201cAnd, you know, the conversation with Jordi has been good, brief. Obviously, there\u2019s been a lot going on, but briefly, he just told me he wants me here, and he wants me as a piece of this team, and sees a lot more in me, and a lot more of what I can do and what I can bring to this team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez may be telling the truth. The Brooklyn Nets did not have to scoop up Minott or Agbaji; they did not have to duck a tax to get these guys, they didn\u2019t have to match salaries, give up any of their draft hoard \u2026they just scooped \u2018em up because they were available.<\/p>\n
And Fern\u00e1ndez did not hesitate when asked what the newest Nets could bring to the floor: \u201cEvery time you can apply ball pressure, whether it\u2019s in the full-court or the half-court, you can create turnovers, deflections, make the other team\u2019s offense uncomfortable, play out of position late in the clock. So, we believe those guys can do that, and I\u2019m excited. I\u2019m excited to watch them play.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Minott is about 6\u20199\u201d with a plus-wingspan, a wiry NBA body if there ever was one. Agbaji is a bit stockier, makes some great closeouts and loves to get physical, though there is still some juice in those legs, a welcome sight for fans of one the league\u2019s least athletic teams\u2026<\/p>\n
Agbaji, 25 years old, played with Jalen Wilson at Kansas for three seasons, and they won a national championship together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI actually knew him before he came to Kansas,\u201d said Agbaji. \u201cI was one of his hosts on his on his recruiting visit, so I\u2019ve known him for a long time now, and seen him grow and expand in his game, his career. So now, ending up with him as a teammate and as a teammate again is great. So, like I said, it just feels like even more of a home here with him and some other guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
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