Yuta Watanabe is no star. However, the 28-year-old emerged as a fan favorite during his stint with the Brooklyn Nets this past season. This is probably why more than a few Nets fans were sad to see him go in NBA free agency to follow former Brooklyn superstar Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns. It wasn't a complete shock that Yuta ended up moving on to greener pastures, but it was still a noteworthy departure for the team and for the fans.

For his part, Watanabe has recently come out with his farewell message to the Nets now that he's taking his talents out West. The 6-foot-9 small forward took to Twitter to say his goodbyes:

“Brooklyn, thank you for everything. I’ll always be grateful. Will miss you,” Watanabe wrote.

Yuta kept it short and simple. However, there's no denying that he was genuinely thankful for the opportunity the Nets gave him last season. The Japanese national had arguably the best year of his career in Brooklyn last term, averaging 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in just 16.0 minutes of action. Where he stood out, however, is with his efficiency from beyond the arc, knocking down 44.4 percent of his triples on 2.3 attempts per game.

He's obviously no star and his numbers are by no means eye-popping, but this was enough to earn him a one-year deal with the Suns for $2.3 million. Phoenix wants to surround their Kevin Durant-Devin Booker-Bradley Beal Big 3 with as many weapons as they can, and it is clear that Yuta Watanabe fits the bill for them.