Former Nets Dennis Smith Jr., Lonnie Walker IV Remain Free Agents

Will the two guards return next season?

Mar 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) drives for the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. (4) in the fourth quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Two former Nets, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith Jr., remain free agents as we head into August.

Walker 25, is coming off a 2023–24 campaign in which he shot 38.4% from three-point range and 42.3% from the field while averaging 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game for Brooklyn. Walker was considered a strong contender for the Sixth Man of the Year title at the beginning of the previous campaign, but after missing all of December due to a hamstring injury, he had to deal with a sudden setback that ruined his rhythm.

After having his role decreased under interim head coach Kevin Ollie to close the 2023–24 season, Walker still hasn't made up his mind on where he wants to play next season. It all depends on what he wants out of his next contract and whether he can picture himself playing a significant enough role.

Upon a successful season with the Nets in which he averaged 6.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, Dennis Smith Jr. is also a free agent at the moment. In 56 games, he shot 29.4% from three and 43.5% from the field last season. Though he is still unsigned, many teams view him as a rotational player who could still offer value off the bench with the potential to break into a starting lineup. Smith Jr., 26, has career averages of 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per contest while shooting 40.7% from the field and 29.8% from the three.

The Nets, on the other hand, just had a season in which they finished 32–50 and were ranked as the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference. For the first time since 2018, they did not make it to the NBA playoffs. Reassigning Nic Claxton and signing Killian Hayes lately suggests that the team may need to wait until the end of the summer to decide whether to bring back Walker IV and Smith Jr. It won't be shocking if the two guards end up somewhere else at this point.

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