David Duke Jr. is making his third consecutive appearance on the Nets Summer League squad. That is a result of Brooklyn's decision not to extend the 6'4″ guard a qualifying offer this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent. The move came as a surprise to Duke Jr., who emerged as one of the G League's top players in 2022-23.
“Things don’t always happen as you expect. Yeah, I could say that I was expecting it, but I always know that my whole career I feel there’s been things thrown at me that I didn’t expect,” Duke Jr. said after Sunday’s Summer League win over the New York Knicks. “It’s not really something that shook me or anything like that.
“I’m in this position and I know there’s a greater plan for me. I just have a different route and I’m just gonna ride the wave for right now and make the best out of it.”
After joining Brooklyn on a tw0-way contract in 2021, Duke Jr. finished third in the G League MVP voting last season, averaging 23.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists on 48/32/80 shooting splits. The performance earned him a standard contract ahead of the playoffs but wasn't enough to convince the Nets to lock him up for 2023-24.
Despite Brooklyn's decision, the former Providence guard said he hopes to work something out ahead of the season.
“Yeah, absolutely. I’m always optimistic about that but I try not to focus much on it,” Duke Jr. said. “I think if I take care of stuff on the court everything will fall into place.”
Duke Jr. has appeared in 43 NBA games in two seasons with the Nets, averaging 4.2 points on 40 percent shooting in 12.6 minutes per game. In two Summer League games, he's averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 50 percent shooting.
Brooklyn's roster stands at 12 players. The Nets guaranteed Royce O'Neale's $9.5 million contract Monday. They pushed back the guarantee date on Edmond Sumner's $2.2 million salary and now have until July 15 to make a decision.
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