The Brooklyn Nets have made another move to open free agency, landing one of the NBA's most underrated defensive guards. Keon Ellis is headed to Brooklyn on a two-year, $18 million deal after establishing himself as a key contributor in Sacramento.
The Brooklyn Nets have continued reshaping their roster at the start of free agency, agreeing to terms with one of the market's top defensive guards.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Brooklyn has agreed to a two-year, $18 million guaranteed contract with free agent guard Keon Ellis. Charania added that the deal contains a full mutual option after the first season, allowing both sides to revisit the contract next summer while guaranteeing the full $18 million if either party exercises the option.
Ellis, 26, spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers at last season's trade deadline. He carved out a role for Cleveland down the stretch, averaging 8.3 points while shooting 49.1 percent from the field in 29 regular-season games before seeing his playing time decrease during the Cavaliers' playoff run.
A former undrafted free agent out of Alabama, Ellis has steadily developed into one of the league's more reliable 3-and-D guards. After entering the NBA on a two-way contract with Sacramento, he earned a standard deal in 2024 and established himself as a valuable rotation player thanks to his perimeter defense, energy, and efficient outside shooting. Ellis has knocked down better than 40 percent of his three-point attempts in three of his four NBA seasons.
Brooklyn's interest in Ellis is hardly surprising given his connection to head coach Jordi Fernandez. Fernandez served as Sacramento's associate head coach while Ellis was developing with the Kings, giving the two an established relationship that should help ease Ellis' transition into Brooklyn's system. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer previously reported the Nets had interest in Ellis before free agency opened, making Tuesday's agreement one of the team's first moves of the offseason.
Ellis joins an increasingly crowded Nets backcourt that also features recent draft picks Egor Demin, Ben Saraf, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, and Mikel Brown Jr., along with veteran Terance Mann and Malachi Smith, who is currently on a non-guaranteed contract. While Brooklyn has stockpiled young guards this offseason, Ellis gives the team a proven NBA contributor with four years of experience and an established reputation as a disruptive perimeter defender who doesn't need the ball in his hands to make an impact.
At 6-foot-5, Ellis has built a reputation for creating turnovers, defending multiple perimeter positions, and knocking down open three-pointers. Those traits should give Brooklyn another reliable perimeter defender as the roster continues to take shape.
Ellis becomes Brooklyn's latest addition since free agency opened and adds another experienced option to Jordi Fernandez's rotation. With the offseason still in its early stages, the Nets are expected to remain active as they continue shaping their roster for the 2026-27 season.
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