Two-way player Duke gets the Nets to become a regular! Alternative to ending short-term contract for Brown's lineup spot

2023-04-08 13:52

Two-way player Duke gets the Nets to become a regular! Alternative to ending short-term contract for Brown's lineup spot


The Brooklyn Nets officially announced today that they will convert the two-way contract of 23-year-old guard David Duke into an NBA standard contract and become an official player of the Nets.


Duke participated in the NBA draft in 2021 but was not selected. Soon after, he signed his first contract in the NBA with the Nets in August of the same year. More than two months later, Duke's contract was converted into a two-way contract by the Nets. According to the terms of the two-way contract, he needs to play games between the Long Island Nets of the Development League and the Nets of the NBA.


Duke also represented the Nets in the 2022 NBA Summer League last year. After that, he signed his second two-way contract with the Nets again on September 17. He also participated in the development league this season.


Two-way player Duke gets the Nets to become a regular! Alternative to ending short-term contract for Brown's lineup spot


In his NBA career with the Nets, Duke played a total of 43 games, averaging 4 points and 2 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.5 steals in 12.1 minutes per game. The overall shooting percentage is 39.8%, and the three-point shooting percentage is 22.2%.


However, Duke has become one of the core of the Long Island Nets in the development league this season. He averaged 16.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, shooting 37.3% from the field and 30.3% from the three-point range.


Two-way player Duke gets the Nets to become a regular! Alternative to ending short-term contract for Brown's lineup spot


Duke's performance this season has also been recognized by Nets coach Jacques Vaughn, so Vaughn decided to give up signing the second 10-day short-term contract and expiring 23-year-old center Moses Brown. Keep Brown, but leave the lineup to Duke.


Therefore, Duke finally got his wish and received a standard NBA contract from the Nets today. However, this does not mean that Duke is expected to become a member of the playoff rotation. Although everything depends on his performance, I believe this is a major opportunity and milestone for Duke in the NBA.