Former Alabama guard Keon Ellis is an undrafted free agent success story. He's also one of Nate Oats' most impressive evaluations.
Ellis came to Alabama from the JUCO ranks, spending two productive seasons in Tuscaloosa before going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. Next year will be his fifth season in the league.
He worked his way through a two-way contract with the Sacramento Kings during his first two seasons before earning a full NBA contract. At the trade deadline this past season, Ellis was shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played 29 games as a rotational piece off the bench but was not part of the playoff rotation.
On Tuesday, Ellis found a new home as a free agent for the first time.
The former Alabama guard agreed to a two-year, $18 million fully guaranteed contract with the Brooklyn Nets:
Free agent guard Keon Ellis has agreed to a two-year, $18 million guaranteed deal with the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/YdLqrFZHhq
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2026
Keon Ellis signs a two-year contract with the Brookly Nets
Ellis will make $8.78 million during the 2026-27 season in Brooklyn, with a salary increased to $9.22 million for the second and final year of his contract, per Spotrac. That's a significant raise from the $2.3 million he made last season, which was his biggest payday in the NBA to date.
The move to Brooklyn will allow Ellis to reunite with former Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez, who will be entering his third season as the head coach of the Nets. Fernandez was an assistant in Sacramento when the organization signed Ellis as an undrafted free agent and was with him through the 2023-24 campaign.
Despite winning just 46 games across two seasons with the Nets, the franchise clearly believes in Fernandez's vision for the team. They gave him a multi-year contract extension to kickstart this offseason.
Ellis will become the 2nd former Alabama player on the Nets' roster, joining Noah Clowney, who will be entering his fourth season with the team after being selected in the first round of the 2023 draft. Ellis and Clowney did not overlap in Tuscaloosa.
Former Alabama big man Grant Nelson's rights are also held by the Nets, and he'll play Summer League with Brooklyn for the second year in a row.
The Nets' big move so far this offseason was the trade that landed Julius Randle from the Minnesota Timberwolves and sent Nicolas Claxton to the Chicago Bulls.
Ellis will be a valuable, veteran addition to the Nets' backcourt. He should find significant minutes and will have the opportunity to increase his value toward a potentially bigger payday once he hits free agency again in the Summer of 2028.
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