Logo

The Nets have a need for wings, and must have been perusing Indiana’s injury list. They signed not one but two wings that missed all of last season for the Pacers, adding T.J. Warren and Edmond Sumner within hours on Tuesday.

Warren hasn’t played since December 2020 due to a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his left foot, while Sumner missed last season with an Achilles injury. The irony was clear for a Nets team that suffered from Kyrie Irving’s absence and Kevin Durant’s injury; but Warren and Sumner are low-risk fliers.

Still, picking up a former starter like Warren could indicate Brooklyn is proceeding with business as usual, fleshing out the best team it can with the possibility that the disgruntled duo of Durant and Irving could be brought into camp.

Warren got a one-year deal after playing just four games over the past two seasons thanks to consecutive stress fractures. But he can pay off for the Nets if he returns to form.

It’s unclear if Warren was on a veteran minimum (which seems likely), or took up part of Brooklyn’s taxpayer mid-level exception. But Warren — who also was reportedly targeted by the Lakers — was a solid starter on a playoff team.


  The Nets have signed T.J. Warren (1) to a one-year contract. AP The Nets have signed T.J. Warren (1) to a one-year contract. AP

Warren averaged 19.8 points per game in 2019-20 while shooting .536 overall and .403 from behind the 3-point arc. And he was one of the best players in the Orlando bubble playoffs, averaging 26.6 points in his 10 total games. Warren was even better in his six seeding games, averaging 31.0 points with a 53-point eruption against Philadelphia.

One of the Nets’ biggest needs has been help on the wing. Lack of proven size there led to the since-departed 6-foot-4 Bruce Brown being forced to start at small forward, while Irving, Seth Curry and Patty Mills had to log significant minutes against a far bigger Boston team in a first-round sweep.

If fit, Warren will help that. He’s a versatile 6-8 scorer who has always been strong attacking the rim, but has developed his outside shot as time has gone on. He shot .428 and .403 from deep in his last two full seasons before his injury.

Just two hours after adding Warren, the Nets inked the 6-6 Sumner.

“Journey not over,” Sumner tweeted Tuesday. “will it be easy? Definitely not. But I’m ready for it all! Smile still bright.”

It’s unclear if the contract is guaranteed, but the focus in the wings is obvious.

After Durant had called the NBA a wings’ league, everything the Nets have done this offseason has backed that up. They had already traded a first-round pick for Royce O’Neal before Tuesday’s signings.

Sumner had the best season of his young career in 2020-21, when he averaged 7.5 points in 14.1 minutes on .525/.398/.819 shooting splits. A torn left Achilles cost him all of last season — but it didn’t stop him from briefly becoming a Net.

Or more accurately, becoming a line in their transaction history.

The Nets traded a 2025 second-round pick and the rights to draft stash bust Juan Pablo Vaulet for the injured Sumner back in October 2021, part of their machinations to dump Sekou Doumbouya’s salary.

Sumner — whose surgery was done by Nets foot specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley — has played just 108 games in an injury-riddled five years. He’s also had knee and shoulder surgeries as well.

But trainer Mike Robertson — who is the co-owner of Indianapolis-based IFAST and has worked with Sumner for years — praised the work he’s put in coming back from the Achilles tear.

“Excited for my guy Ed to get a fresh start in Brooklyn!!” Robertson tweeted. “Couldn’t be happier for you @EdmondSumner — few know the work you’ve put in to get here, now it’s time to show ’em what you can do!!!”

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy