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Aug 23, 2023

Nets sign forward Trendon Watford as youth movement continues

Submit Δ Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission. The Nets continued their search for young, cheap frontcourt help, signing 22-year-old free agent forward Trendon Watford on Thursday

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The Nets continued their search for young, cheap frontcourt help, signing 22-year-old free agent forward Trendon Watford on Thursday afternoon.

Watford’s deal will be a standard contract, The Post has learned.

That fills up Brooklyn’s roster, leaving it with just a single two-way spot to go along with a pair of training camp invites.

The deal is non-guaranteed, according to NetsDaily, like fellow recent forward signee Darius Bazley.

But unlike the springy Bazley, Watford is more of an inside-out bruiser at 6-foot-8, 237 pounds with a rapidly developing 3-point stroke.

The pair could well fight for a spot at the back end of the rotation on a team desperate to cobble together big-man depth behind starting center Nic Claxton and forwards Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson.

Watford averaged 7.5 points and four rebounds through his first two seasons as an undrafted free agent in Portland.

But he improved his 23.7 percent shooting from deep as a rookie to a more impressive 39.1 percent this past season.

The forward averaged 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 56.0/39.1/72.0 shooting splits in 19.1 minutes for Portland, including 12.1 points and five boards in 25.6 minutes from March through the end of the campaign.

After scoring in double figures in a dozen of his last 14 games played, it was surprising to see him waived June 30 before his non-guaranteed minimum contract became guaranteed.

Though Watford isn’t a shot blocker or known as a top defender, his age, price tag and solid 7-2 ¼ wingspan — eighth-best at the 2021 draft combine — fit with Brooklyn’s youth movement and retooling in the wake of last season’s trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Watford played with Nets combo guard Cam Thomas at LSU.

He can put the ball on the floor somewhat, has a nice floater and profiles best as a small-ball 5 or a power forward.