It was the move everyone had expected to take place after James Johnson was waived last week. The Nets officially signed Kessler Edwards to a standard NBA contract, which makes him eligible to play in the postseason.
Brooklyn did not make the terms of the deal public, per team policy. Both Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and Alex Schiffer of The Athletic reported that there is a team option for next season.
Edwards was signed to a two-way deal back in August and has appeared in 47 games this season for the Nets. Like several of the other Brooklyn rookies this year, Edwards benefited from extended playing time while the team dealt with COVID and injuries.
This season the 22-year-old has averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game, while shooting 40.8% from the field and 35.6% from 3-point range. Edwards also appeared in seven games for the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League.
“First of all he’s a great kid, he works hard,” Nets head coach Steve Nash said about Edwards last week. “His physical profile is great defensively for us on the perimeter and unique. And he’s made threes. People have to respect him out there cause he can really shoot, so he spaces the floor and makes some shots for us.”
Edwards has certainly made his presence felt on the court and taken advantage of playing alongside a talented core in Brooklyn.
“I didn’t know where I was going to go,” Edwards said back in November. “I feel like I could have went to any team and I feel like this is a great situation for me. I’ve always wanted to be like a young person that’s a part of a team that has a whole lot of vets that I can talk to and learn from, so I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Teams have until Monday at 3 p.m.to finalize their rosters for the playoffs. The Nets will have to go through the play-in round just to qualify for the first round of the playoffs this season.
The play-in tournament begins on Tuesday.
