The Nets made a few rumored training camp additions official on Friday, as they announced the signings of forward Yongxi “Jacky” Cui and guard Killian Hayes.
Cui, 21, joins Brooklyn on a two-way contract after going undrafted out of China in June. The 6-6 wing played for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association from 2022-24, where he averaged 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals across 99 career games while shooting 45.3% from the field and 36.2% from 3-point range.
Cui earned CBA Domestic First Team honors last season and was on the Portland Trail Blazers’ summer league roster in July. The Nets have one two-way slot available after Cui’s signing. Jaylen Martin, a 6-6 guard, agreed to a two-way deal last season.
Hayes, the former No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, will compete for a roster spot in training camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, as confirmed by the Daily News in July. He spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons, where he shot 38.2% from the field, 27.7% from deep and 77.5% from the free throw line. He was released by Detroit following last season’s trade deadline. His best statistical season came in 2022-23, when he averaged 10.3 points, 6.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
Ahead of training camp, the Nets also announced that Amari Bailey, Tyrese Martin and Patrick Gardner have been signed to Exhibit 10 deals.
The Charlotte Hornets made Bailey the 41st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft after the guard played just one season at UCLA. The 20-year-old was once viewed as one of the best high school prospects in the country. He averaged 2.3 points across 10 games with Charlotte during his rookie season.
Martin, a 6-6 forward, spent last season with the G League Iowa Wolves and averaged 17.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists across 33 games. He appeared in 16 games for the Atlanta Hawks during the 2022-23 season
Gardner spent last season with the Nets’ G League affiliate Long Island Nets and will likely do the same next season. The 6-11 center is also a member of the Egyptian National Team.
The new-look Nets, led by first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, will open training camp on Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Brooklyn.
