Nets Cut Ties With Two Former Kansas Stars Ahead of Free Agency Frenzy

The Brooklyn Nets are letting go of two players who won a national championship together at Kansas. Jalen Wilson and Ochai Agbaji are now unrestricted free agents after the team declined to tender them qualifying offers, per reports from Hoopshype and ClutchPoints.

A Roster Crunch on the Wing

The moves aren’t a surprise, really. Brooklyn is in the middle of a rebuild and they’ve got a logjam on the wing. They also passed on Ziaire Williams’ $6.25 million team option. That’s three guys out the door in one position group.

Meanwhile, the Nets brought in forward Julius Randle from the Timberwolves last week and re-signed Josh Minott to a two-year, $9.5 million deal on Monday. So the roster math was getting tight.

Wilson’s Run in Brooklyn

Wilson was a 51st pick in the 2023 draft and spent three years with the Nets. The former Big 12 Player of the Year got real chances — 176 games, 20 minutes a night. But he couldn’t lock down a consistent role. He averaged 7.4 points and 2.1 boards on 40 percent shooting overall. His three-point percentage ticked up last season, but inside the arc he was ugly: 44.4 percent on twos.

Agbaji Arrived as a Salary Dump

Agbaji came over from Toronto at the trade deadline in a pure salary dump. The Nets took his $6.4 million expiring deal into their cap space and got a 2032 second-round pick back. He played 20 games in Brooklyn, putting up 6.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 16 minutes on 45.5 percent shooting.

Same College Glory, Different NBA Roads

Both guys were part of that 2022 Kansas title team. Now they’re both hitting free agency at the same time, but with very different resumes. Wilson is a late-second-round success story who maxed out his rookie deal. Agbaji is a former lottery pick who’s already bounced from Utah to Toronto to Brooklyn in three years.

Unrestricted free agency starts Sunday. Neither guy is likely to break the bank, but both could find minutes on a team looking for cheap wing depth. Wilson’s shooting might get him a look. Agbaji’s athletic tools still intrigue.

For now, the Nets keep clearing space and stacking assets. The rebuild rolls on.