Ochai Agbaji's Path to the Brooklyn Nets is Filled With a Wide Variety of Stops

The Brooklyn Nets acquired Ochai Agbaji from the Toronto Raptors at the 2026 trade deadline in a three-team trade. Brooklyn also received a 2032 second-round pick from Toronto and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Clippers.

This is Agbaji's fourth stop in the league, and his third team that he actually suited up for. He was a four-year player at the University of Kansas, but has yet to find his home in the NBA.

Agbaji's basketball journey began because of his father, Olofu Agbaji, who attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after immigrating to the United States from Nigeria. His father may not have been a basketball prodigy, but he had a love for the game that rubbed off on his son.

"When he would go play open runs with some of his old friends, I was just on the side... soaking up the game," Agbaji said. "I really fell in love with (basketball) from that point."

He went on to play soccer and basketball in high school, then dropped soccer to focus on basketball in his junior year. Agbaji played with the AAU team, Mokan Elite, the summer going into his senior season, and that's where he started to receive some Division I looks.

"I don't end up getting looked at by KU until like late after our season was done," Agbaji said. "I was a late bloomer. I came in with three other All-Americans, and I was like a three-star, so I was underrated for sure."

Despite being on a crowded roster of talent, he worked his way to 16 starts in his freshman season en route to a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament. Agbaji started in all 100 games he played in following his freshman season, capping off his tenure in Lawrence with a National Championship in 2022.

The draft process came soon after, when he was selected with the 14th pick in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers. After playing in four NBA Summer League games with the Cavaliers, Agbaji was traded to the Utah Jazz in the deal that sent Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland before the season began.

He played in 110 games across two seasons with the Jazz before being dealt to the Raptors at the 2024 deadline. Toronto is the longest tenured franchise Agbjai's played for in the league –– appearing in 133 games. He had a career year in the 2024-25 season with 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game on 49.8% shooting from the field and 39.9% from three-point range.

Agbaji arrived in Brooklyn less than two weeks ago and played in one game before the All-Star break. He's ready to find his place amid the Nets' young roster, saying, "(I'm) starting my new adventure here, I'm very excited."