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The Toronto Raptors emerged as one of Kevin Durant's potential destinations during his highly publicized trade saga with the Brooklyn Nets. Obviously, nothing materialized in that regard. Rumor has it that the Nets wanted Scottie Barnes as part of the deal — something that the Raptors were just having none of.
At this point, the Nets have decided to settle for the next best thing. Well, not really.
NBA guru Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Brooklyn has signed former Raptors small forward Yuta Watanabe off the free agency market:
Article Continues Below“The Nets say team has signed free agent Yuta Watanabe. The Japanese forward has played four seasons for Toronto and Memphis,” Shams wrote in his tweet.
The Nets may have failed in their pursuit of Scottie Barnes, but the fact of the matter is that they still have KD on their roster. Kyrie Irving is still in Brooklyn as well, and the team is now building around their core following a truly eventful summer. Their recruitment efforts apparently includes Yuta Watanabe.
The 6-foot-9 forward played the last two seasons with the Raptors, averaging 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game. Prior to his stint in Toronto, the Japanese national played the first two years with the Memphis Grizzlies.
It remains to be seen what type of role Watanabe is going to play for head coach Steve Nash's system, or if the former George Washington standout is actually going to play a significant role in the rotation. We shall soon find out.
