Former Net Joins East Rival, But Brooklyn Has No Reason to Worry

The argument could be made that, given the inexperience at the position currently present on their roster, the Brooklyn Nets probably shouldn't have let Killian Hayes walk. The 24-year-old former lottery pick spent most of last season with Brooklyn's G League affiliate, and a distinct lack of familiarity at the NBA level from the Nets' current options could've warranted giving Hayes a second chance.

Instead, he'll head to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Brooklyn likely won't ever regret allowing him to do so.

Hayes is set to compete for minutes as Darius Garland's backup once Ty Jerome departed for the Memphis Grizzlies this summer. He'll battle with Lonzo Ball, who is recovering from injury, for opportunities in Cleveland. One of the teams in your conference—which is also a powerhouse—signing one of your former players who plays a position you need would typically be a sign of poor management in any other scenario. But the Nets have far more intriguing options at the one than Hayes, so they get a pass.

Egor Demin, Brooklyn's lottery pick, is set to contribute right away, likely as the team's starting point guard. He joins the Nets alongside Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf, two other developable options at the one who presently have a higher ceiling than Hayes.

That very same logic could also be applied to Kobe Bufkin, whom Brooklyn reunited with current assistant Juwan Howard in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. Just like Demin, Traore and Saraf, Bufkin has first-round upside and should also be viewed as having more potential than Hayes.

The Nets have also prioritized backcourt members who have a certain level of versatility, which will make life easier on the staff. Saraf and Bufkin can play either guard spot, as can Cam Thomas and Terance Mann. Demin can play the three given his size. These guards truly are interchangeable and should be expected to be used in very creative ways by head coach Jordi Fernandez.

These are qualities that Hayes simply doesn't possess. He'll be a great comeback story if he can manage to eventually live up to the hype that got him drafted seventh overall in 2020, but that theory becoming reality doesn't seem more likely than Brooklyn hitting big on one of its guard additions this summer.