The Nets have agreed to a two-year, $19 million deal with free-agent big man Moe Wagner, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
The deal is fully guaranteed and includes a second-year mutual option.
Wagner, who spent the past six seasons with the Orlando Magic, gets a significant raise after playing last season on a one-year, $5 million contract.
The 29-year-old averaged 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds in 36 games last season. He has career averages of nine points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 399 games.
Wagner’s arrival continues a busy start to free agency for the Nets, who previously re-signed Day’Ron Sharpe to a two-year, $20 million deal and added free-agent guard Keon Ellis on a two-year, $18 million deal. Wagner receives essentially the same contract as Ellis, giving Brooklyn another rotation player on short-term money.
Wagner and Sharpe now appear set to split the Nets’ center minutes this coming season after Brooklyn moved Nic Claxton in the three-team trade that brought Julius Randle to Brooklyn. Sharpe gives the Nets a physical interior presence and offensive rebounding, while Wagner adds a different kind of reserve big with scoring, screening, passing feel and floor-spacing ability.
Wagner isn’t the same kind of rim protector or switch defender Claxton was, but he gives head coach Jordi Fernández another frontcourt option who can function within the flow of the offense. He can operate as a connector from the elbows, make quick reads after catching on the short roll and step away from the basket enough to create space for drivers or for Randle when he creates.
After the Wagner signing, the Nets have plenty of positional versatility, but there’s a clear logjam at guard with Ellis, Mikel Brown Jr., Nolan Traoré, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell, Terance Mann and non-guaranteed guard Malachi Smith all on the roster.
Michael Porter Jr., Egor Dëmin and Josh Minott give Brooklyn size on the wing, while Randle, Noah Clowney, Danny Wolf and Joshua Jefferson round out the forward group. Sharpe and Wagner are the only traditional centers currently on the roster.
According to cap analyst Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron, the Nets could have just under $25 million in cap space remaining if they structure one of their signings into the room midlevel exception. Gozlan also noted that Brooklyn is currently out of the mix for a max salary slot, which projects to start at $41.2 million.
The Nets also have no open standard roster spots after the Wagner agreement. That makes a consolidation trade a logical possibility as Brooklyn balances its crowded backcourt, need for another wing and remaining cap flexibility.
Brooklyn still has room to absorb salary in trades or help facilitate larger deals around the league, but the Wagner signing further clarifies the team’s early free-agency approach: short-term contracts, rotation depth and flexibility rather than a long-term swing.