The Brooklyn Nets weren’t waiting around for the bell to ring on free agency. They got ahead of it by re-signing Day’Ron Sharpe and Josh Minott to multi-year deals, locking in two guys who made serious noise off the bench last season.
Sharpe’s situation was the bigger of the two. The Nets turned down his $6.25 million team option and immediately gave him a two-year, $20 million deal instead, according to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto. It’s a raise and a show of faith for a 24-year-old center who spent last season quietly wrecking opposing second units.
He put up career highs across the board: 8.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 60.1 percent shooting. In just 18.7 minutes a night. That plus-8.0 net rating swing was the best on the team and tenth among all big men who logged over 1,000 minutes, per Cleaning The Glass.
The timing makes sense too. Brooklyn traded Nic Claxton in a three-team deal that landed Julius Randle, which opens up a more consistent rotation spot for Sharpe. He’s earned it.
Minott Found a Home in Brooklyn
Josh Minott arrived as basically a salary dump from the Celtics at the trade deadline. But he played his way into the Nets’ plans fast. The 23-year-old averaged 10.8 points on .495/.395/.800 shooting splits in 19.3 minutes across 16 games. He also averaged 2.1 stocks per game — that’s steals plus blocks — using his seven-foot wingspan to bother ball handlers and shrink passing lanes.
His three-point shooting was especially interesting. Over 49 total appearances with Boston and Brooklyn last season, Minott hit 41.8 percent from deep on 9.2 attempts per 100 possessions. That’s not a fluke sample, not at that volume.
The Nets declined his $2.6 million option and signed him to a two-year, $9 million deal. Both contracts have team options in year two. So if either guy falls off, Brooklyn can walk. But right now, both look like smart bets on young players who outperformed their pay grades.
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