The Brooklyn Nets’ tumultuous offseason has continued on Thursday, as they have acquired forward Royce O’Neale from the Utah Jazz.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the trade, which will send a 2023 first-round pick to Utah in exchange for the 29-year-old — which comes as the team is dealing with a contentious situation, as future-Hall of Famer Kevin Durant has requested a trade to get away from Barclays Center.
Kyrie Irving, the team’s All Star point guard, recently opted into his contract for $36.9 million — which led NBA insiders to believe that Brooklyn would open the season with both Irving and Durant, but the recent news throws a wrench into their plans.
Now, Nets general manager Sean Marks has completed a trade for O’Neale, who has played 5 seasons with the Jazz after signing with the team after going undrafted as a prospect in the 2015 NBA Draft.
For more coverage of Royce O’Neale and the Nets, head to amNY.com.
The forward played 2 seasons at University of Denver, before transferring to Baylor University in college.
Following his collegiate career, he went professional in Germany, before moving over to Spain to continue his basketball endeavors.
In 2017, the 6’5” player signed with the Jazz, (after joining summer league with the Suns and Warriors) where he spent the last 5 seasons. In the NBA, O’Neale averaged 6.2 points, 2.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds over 25.7 minutes per game.
He now joins the Nets during an offseason with highly-publicized conflicts.
While he will not likely start for the team, O’Neale is sure to provide much-needed help on the team’s bench, which has become barren due to salary cap restraints.
