The Brooklyn Nets have their new backup big man, and they didn’t have to wait long to find him. Moe Wagner agreed to a two-year, $19 million contract with the team, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. ClutchPoints confirmed the deal, which is fully guaranteed and includes a mutual option after the first year. That means Wagner and the Nets can revisit negotiations next summer if both sides want to keep things going.
This move fills the gap left by Nic Claxton, who got shipped out for Julius Randle in a trade that pushed Brooklyn toward a full rebuild. Wagner and Day’Ron Sharpe — who just signed a two-year, $20 million extension Monday — will split center minutes for a team that looks very different than it did a week ago.
Wagner spent last season with the Orlando Magic, but his role shrunk after he came back from a torn ACL. He played 36 games, averaging 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds on .426/.314/.819 shooting splits in about 12 minutes a night. That’s a far cry from his production from 2022 to 2025, when he put up 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds on much better efficiency in 17.6 minutes per game across 230 appearances. The 28-year-old former Michigan star is betting on himself to get back to that level in Brooklyn.
The Magic, meanwhile, filled Wagner’s old roster spot with veteran Nikola Vucevic, who signed a minimum contract Wednesday. That move essentially swaps one big for another, though Vucevic brings a different skill set and a lot more mileage. For Brooklyn, the Wagner signing is about depth and upside on a team that isn’t chasing a title anytime soon.
Wagner joins Keon Ellis as the Nets’ first free agent pickups. Ellis got a two-year, $18 million deal Tuesday with the same mutual option structure. The team now has about $24 million in cap space but no open standard roster spots. Brooklyn has seven guards on guaranteed contracts, which feels lopsided. Expect them to shop some of that depth on the trade market. They have nine tradable first-round picks and 19 second-rounders — a stockpile that gives them serious flexibility to reshape the roster however they want.
The Nets are clearly in asset-collection mode with an eye on the future. Wagner might not be the headline move fans were hoping for, but he’s a solid bet to carve out a role on a team that needs bodies and energy in the frontcourt.
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