Killian Hayes’ 10-day contract with the Nets, which was originally agreed to on Feb. 20, expired after the team’s 115-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons last Saturday.
Instead of giving him another 10-day deal or signing him for the rest of the season, Brooklyn chose to let him walk, league sources confirmed to the Daily News.
It is unclear whether Hayes will return to the G League. If he showcased enough improvement during his short stint with the Nets, he could still land with another NBA team. Brooklyn now has a vacant roster spot after parting ways with Hayes.
Hayes, 23, averaged nine points, three rebounds and 5.2 assists in six games with Brooklyn, including five straight starts after D’Angelo Russell was sidelined because of a right ankle sprain in a 110-97 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 20 — which also happened to be Hayes’ Nets debut.
Russell, now off the injury report, is expected to return to Brooklyn’s starting lineup in Tuesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. The Nets are 8-9 with Russell in the lineup this season and went 1-5 with Hayes.
After failing to reach double figures as a scorer in his first three games with the Nets, head coach Jordi Fernandez challenged Hayes to be more aggressive on offense. He responded with 19 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 26 and 16 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Feb. 28. He shot better than 50% from the field and played more than 30 minutes in each game.
“Is he always going to make them? No. But we need everybody to play with that edge and define who we are, and it was good,” Fernandez said. “The pace was good, the attempts were good, and I was happy with the way he played.”
Hayes, who was drafted No. 7 overall by Detroit in 2020, was invited to training camp to compete for a roster spot but didn’t play in any preseason games because of hip soreness. He was then waived and spent most of this season with G League affiliate Long Island, where he averaged 21 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists across 13 starts while shooting 49.5% from the field and 40.3% from the free throw line. He also led the league in steals with 2.8 per game.
“My goal is to stay in the NBA, make a mark for myself,” Hayes said. “But I think my short-term goals are [to] just be a team player, show what I can do… and just keep going from there. Just helping my teammates, being a great teammate, being a great locker room guy, and just doing what I have to do.”
