The Nets are expected to waive veteran forward Bojan Bogdanović and sign two-way forward Tyrese Martin to a standard NBA deal and guard Killian Hayes to a 10-day contract.
Bogdanović, still recovering from offseason foot surgery, hasn’t appeared in a game this season after the Knicks traded him to Brooklyn in July as part of the Mikal Bridges deal. The 35-year-old will reportedly undergo season-ending foot surgery. He will be a free agent this summer.
“He’s done a great job showing up here every day, trying to get healthy,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Bogdanović. “Unfortunately, he couldn’t get to that point, and he made the decision to get surgery, and we obviously fully support him. And sometimes it’s not the way we want to go.”
Martin, 25, has averaged 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists across 36 games this season while shooting 39.1% from the field and 33.8% from 3-point range. He was no longer eligible to appear in games for Brooklyn under his two-way status.
“Nobody deserves it more than him,” Fernandez said of Martin. “He’s worked the whole summer. He’s about what we’re trying to build here. He helps us build the culture. He’s had big games, but the most important thing is he’s about the right things. Working every day, getting better, and we love him.”
Martin ranks seventh on the Nets in games played and ninth in minutes. His best performance of the season came in a 127-117 defeat of the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 27, where he poured in a career-high 30 points off the bench and went 8-for-10 from deep. The 6-6 forward has averaged just 5.4 points on 32% shooting over his last five appearances.
“He’s got to continue to do what he’s doing,” Fernandez said. “That’s why he’s earned what he’s earned. We don’t need to see anything completely different. Just keep working and keep working along the lines that we established with his agreement. I think that’s what we need. We need continuity, and that’s why we reward continuity, because that’s what we’re all about.”
Hayes was invited to training camp to compete for a roster spot but was waived after the Nets’ preseason finale and has spent most of this season with G League affiliate Long Island. He didn’t appear in any preseason games because of hip soreness.
The former lottery pick has averaged 23.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 9.1 assists over his last seven G League appearances. He scored a career-high 30 points in Long Island’s last game before the All-Star break.
“Killian’s got a good feel for the game,” Fernandez said earlier in the preseason. “He’s worked really hard the whole time we’ve had him here.”
On the injury front, Fernandez said Noah Clowney re-injured his ankle ahead of the All-Star break while playing five-on-five as part of his return to play plan but will “be back soon”. The second-year forward is currently progressing through 1-on-0 workouts.
Cam Thomas, who hasn’t appeared in a game since Jan. 2 because of a left hamstring strain, will see his first 5-on-5 reps since suffering his injury on Thursday.
“We know he does offensively so, there’s no question,” Trendon Watford said. “We all know exactly what Cam Thomas is going to do when he gets back out there. I think all our offensive struggles will come to an end as soon as he steps foot out there.”