Brooklyn Nets' Trenton Watford Signs Qualifying Offer

After being waived by the Portland Trailblazers and signing with the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2023, Trenton Watford turned in a solid campaign during his first year wearing the black and white. The fourth-year man out of LSU averaged 6.9 points while connecting on 39.7% of his attempts from beyond the arc in just under 14 minutes a night. On July 9, the 23-year-old signed his qualifying offer, moving his unrestricted free agency to next summer while netting Watford a no-trade clause.

This is the exact kind of move that Brooklyn needs to be making during the early stages of their total rebuild. Watford has been a solid player during his short career, and will now be given the opportunity to develop even further. He did see a slight dip in his production after landing with the Nets, but now sans Mikal Bridges, a spot for his three-and-D playstyle has opened up.

After only making two starts in his 63 appearances for Brooklyn last year, expect for Watford to contend for a starting position come training camp. Now under new head coach Jordi Fernandez and his player development-first philosophy, Watford will have all the tools at his disposal needed to become even more of an established player. The no-trade clause ensures that he will stick around for the entirety of 2024-25, setting him up to prove to Fernandez why he should be in Brooklyn's plans well into the middle of the franchises rebuild.

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