The Brooklyn Nets have gone through the 2025 NBA offseason by making some interesting moves in the 2025 NBA Draft and with their tweaks to the roster. When free-agency began on Monday, there already news that Brooklyn was looking to retain its restricted free-agents, but one of its unrestricted free-agents to the opportunity to look to play for another team.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that forward Trendon Watford had agreed to a two-year, $5.3 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in free-agency, ending his tenure with the Nets after two seasons. Watford, 24, is set to play a “potential” key role for the 76ers next season, one year after the team finished with a 24-58 record that was dissatisfying to everyone within the organization.
Watford is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 46.9% from the field and 33.0% from three-point land. While Watford was solid for Brooklyn during the 2023-24 campaign, his production took off last season as his ability to handle the ball as a power forward was put more to use by first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez.
During a season in which the Nets essentially played a game of point guard roulette by trading Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors midway through the year, Watford showed that he could handle more of the ball-handling role. Once Brooklyn acquired guard D’Angelo Russell from the Los Angeles Lakers, Watford had less ball-handling responsibility on his plate, but he was still asked to be one of the main playmakers on the team.
“Obviously, you want to get what you feel like you deserve. Just having a consistent role these past two years, I think I’ve been able to show, not only my organization, but other organizations, putting my name out there, and earn respect on my name,” Watford said during his exit interview in April. After signing with the 76ers in free-agency, Watford seems to have found where he wants to be for the next two seasons.