Why the Nets Letting Tosan Evbuomwan Join Their Rival Could Prove Costly

Just because something made sense doesn't mean it necessarily needed to happen. Back on Sept. 2, I wrote that the recently waived Tosan Evbuomwan would be a perfect fit for the New York Knicks and that the Brooklyn Nets' fanbase would hate to see the 24-year-old join their crosstown rivals.

Well, it's been 13 days since that piece was published, and...now it's a reality. On Monday, the Knicks signed Evbuomwan, per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto. New head coach Mike Brown adds another chess piece who happens to be a former Brooklyn rook, essentially granting him the perfect backup to Josh Hart while stealing a hidden gem from the Nets.

Now, in the days following the waiving of Evbuomwan, Brooklyn has reloaded ahead of training camp. Today alone, the Nets signed David Muoka and traded for Kobe Bufkin—two moves that don't make a ton of sense in hindsight. Unless Evbuomwan was let go because the team genuinely didn't think he could produce (unlikely), there's a high probability he was waived due to the Nets' jam-packed roster.

Cutting ties with Evbuomwan gets the team closer to that 21-player goal for camp, but adding two new faces less than two weeks later cancels out the progress that the front office made.

Those decisions cannot be undone. The Nets opted to move on without Evbuomwan, and he's now moved on himself—which could prove costly in multiple matchups with the Knicks in the 2025-26 regular season.

The perks of New York adding Evbuomwan are numerous. If he can replicate the production he did in Brooklyn, whether it be as a scorer, facilitator, rebounder or just pure effort guy, the Knicks will be coming away with a steal. And, from the perspective of the Nets' fanbase, seeing someone who once bore your colors and logo succeed with your biggest rival hurts—bad.

Discourse from last summer's blockbuster trade of Mikal Bridges from the Nets to the Knicks still hasn't died down after surviving all of the 2024-25 campaign. Imagine if Evbuomwan makes a real impact and contributes to New York's first NBA Finals appearance in decades. Then, two former members of Brooklyn's roster will be leading its instate adversary to basketball glory while the Nets continue to rebuild.

Yes, that is likely the worst-case scenario, especially since Evbuomwan could unlock his full potential, which also would have been fully possible in Brooklyn. That said, there's also a reality where Evbuomwan doesn't even make the team.

Nets fans hope they live in that reality.