On July 9th, it was announced by NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski that fan-favorite Nets forward Trendon Watford has accepted his qualifying offer, meaning he will be on the Nets roster for at least one more season, making $2.7M.
This move makes sense for both parties. The Nets need young talent to fuel their rebuild, and Watford needs playtime to improve his market. Going undrafted out of LSU back in 2021, Watford had a very promising two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, showing interior shot creation, rebounding, and secondary ball handling. In his 2022-23 season, Watford averaged 7.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 56% FG, 39% 3PT, and 72% FT. Despite having a strong sophomore season, the Blazers mysteriously waived him to open a roster spot. While this decision left Blazers fans confused, it gave the Nets an opportunity to buy in on a low-risk asset.
In his 2023-24 season with the Nets, the 23-year-old Watford had a strange season. Despite playing well in the minutes he was allocated, he was often buried on the bench, receiving 19 DNPs. For the season, in 13.6 minutes per game, Watford averaged 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 53% FG, 40% 3PT, and 79% FT. While his averages went down, so did his minutes; when you adjust for his minutes on a per-36 basis, he went from averaging 14 points in 2022-23 to 18.2 points in 2023-24.
Playing over 55% of his minutes at center in his final season with the Blazers, Watford showed defensive versatility. Being 6'8"-6'9" and 240 lbs, Watford has the physical strength to guard centers and bigger forwards. There are some issues with his switchability, and he lacks rim protection. He’s a bigger body and puts forth effort, allowing him to have a defensive impact on certain matchups. Per 36, he averaged 1.8 deflections per game, putting him in the 40th percentile. He has a block percentage of 2, in the 65th percentile.
Offensively, Watford is an excellent interior shot creator, shooting 69% in the restricted area with 61% of those shots being unassisted. Last season, Watford shot 39.7% on catch-and-shoot 3PT shots, though it should be noted that it was on 0.9 attempts per game. Over the course of the last two seasons, Watford has shot 39.4% from 3PT on 132 total attempts. When it comes to his playmaking, while Watford is not an elite passer, per 36 he averaged 3.7 assists per game over the last two seasons and a 15.4 assist percentage. According to Crafted NBA’s Box Creation stat, Watford generates 4.5 open shots for his teammates per 100 possessions, in the 73rd percentile.
If Watford performs well with the Nets this season, it wouldn’t be hard to re-sign him. As the Nets are projected to have $70M-$80M in practical cap space next season, they could offer a multi-year deal if both sides want to keep the relationship going. Watford was college teammates with Cam Thomas, meaning there’s already a relationship within the organization.
Overall, Watford is a young, promising player, and many fans are excited to see him play next season.
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