No one played in more games for the Nets last season than Jalen Wilson, whose 79 appearances since release were tied with Keon Johnson for the team lead.
Wilson could also face a roster crisis before the regular season starts next week as the Nets look to integrate a record five first-round draft picks into a rebuilding 2025-26 roster.
After waiving Drew Timme and former first-round pick Dariq Whitehead earlier this week, the Nets have one of their 15 regular roster spots left to fill ahead of the Oct. 22 season opener against the Hornets in Charlotte, N.C.
Wilson and fellow player Tyrese Martin – who are both entering their third NBA seasons – are on non-guaranteed contracts and will likely battle for that final spot.
“I’m always confident. And I know I’m always prepared,” Wilson said Tuesday during an event at PS 335 in Crown Heights. “I’ve had some good games in pre-season, we went out and won a game in China, so I’m always confident in myself and what I can do.”
After returning from China on Monday, the Nets will play their final preseason game in Toronto on Friday before the rosters – 15 standard contracts and three two-way players – are due to be finalized next Monday.
The 24-year-old Wilson’s guaranteed money (currently $88,000) will increase to approximately $382,000 if he is on opening night, according to Spotrac, and a $2.22 million salary for the year should be fully guaranteed by January 10.
Martin’s deal does not include partial guarantees on his $2.19 million salary for the 2025-2026 period, which must also be fully guaranteed on the same date.
The 6-foot-4 Wilson, the team’s 2023 second-round pick out of Kansas, averaged 9.5 points and shot 33.7 percent from 3-point range last season, with 22 of his 79 appearances as part of the starting lineup.
“I think the availability is really high in the NBA, being healthy and taking care of your body,” Wilson said. “Shoutout to our [performance] team, they make sure we get the right treatment every day and prepare to be able to play… and I was very fortunate to be available and able to play.”
Wilson added that his expectations for his third NBA campaign are to “just get better and get better every year” and “be the best defender, the best teammate and the best shooter that I can be.”
He also hopes to “remain a sponge” and soak up everything from his teammates and be that kind of resource for the collection of rookies, who he said have “looked phenomenal” in camp.
“I can’t give myself the vet card, but I’m a few years older than her and I’ve played [in the NBA]Wilson said. “My rookie year I was enjoying [teammate] Hi Ron [Sharpe]and boys who were only there two or three years old at the time.
“Now this is my third year and I just want to be a guy they can rely on for help. And I can learn something from them too.”
Whether that third year will extend to the Nets is unclear, but Wilson has joined the team’s rebuilding plan under second-year coach Jordi Fernández following last season’s 26-56 finish.
“I think we’re trying to prioritize getting better and winning, getting one percent better every day,” Wilson said. “People like to make their own statements, but I think in-house, which is what Jordi has [preached] every day throughout the summer, and getting better every day, that’s really the only mentality we have.”
Wilson, who grew up in Texas, added that Tuesday’s event at PS 335 means “a lot” to him. He and Adidas surprised all the elementary school students with new sneakers, book bags and other school supplies before hosting a basketball clinic for fourth and fifth graders in partnership with the Brooklyn Basketball youth program.
The Nets signed guard Malachi Smith, likely to G-League Long Island, and placed Terry Roberts and Trevon Scott on waivers.
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