UPDATE: The Brooklyn Nets Twitter account has also confirmed the news.
The Brooklyn Nets have been a team that has been talked about constantly over the offseason.
With superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the roster, they are always a subject of conversation.
Last season, they got swept in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, so they are coming off a very disappointing year.
On Sunday, the team announced that they have signed a new player (according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post).
Lewis: “The #Nets have signed free agent forward Yuta Watanabe. The 6-foot-8, 214-pounder from Yokohama, Japan has played 121 games (eight starts) in four #NBA seasons with the Memphis #Grizzlies (2018-20) and Toronto #Raptors (2020-22).”
Watanabe has played for the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies over his four-year NBA career.
The 27-year-old played in 38 games for the Raptors last season, and put up a modest 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest.
He also appeared in four of the Raptors playoff games against the Philadelphia 76ers (they lost in Game 6).
In 121 career regular season games, he has averages of 3.8 points, 2.5 rebounds on just over 35% shooting from the three-point range.
This is not a big move, but it’s at least noteworthy that the Nets are adding a solid veteran to their bench.
The Nets were the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference last season, but they were expected to be contenders for the title.
If healthy, they will once again be expected to compete for an NBA Championship.
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