The Brooklyn Nets have continued to piece together their bench through free agency this season, and their last pickup in the market should come to the unanimous joy of Thunder fans.
As first reported by Shams Charnaria of The Athletic, former Thunder wing Andre Roberson has agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets.
The acquisition will leave the Nets with one man over the 15-player roster threshold, but for Roberson– he’s back in action. Roberson tore opposing sides apart in his first four seasons with the Thunder franchise, even receiving Second-Team All-Defense honors in the 2016-17 season, but a ruptured patellar tendon in early 2018 notched the then 26-year-old into a labor-intensive rehab. Roberson returned back to the hardwood to a team standing ovation a whopping 909 days after suffering his injury. In Dre’s return to the rotation, he competed in a grand total of 7 games in the Orlando bubble, scoring 2.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 12.4 minutes.
Andre Roberson has never been known as a threat on offense, even being given open threes and given the Hack-a-Shaq treatment in the Thunder’s 2017 first round series vs. the Rockets– he makes defenders pay on defense. Roberson’s elite lateral quickness made him atop the league’s best defenders in his hay-day, and with little chance to prove himself since 2018– he finally gets his shot to impress.
The details of Roberson’s new contract with the Nets is unknown, but as seen in free agent scoops in Noah Vonleh and Iman Shumpert, it will likely be a one-year veteran-minimum. As a Thunder fan, seeing Andre play meaningful minutes for a contender will be emotional, as his now three-year long journey of uncertainty has come to an end.