Jordi Fernandez ‘pulled hard’ for Nets free agent signing ahead of pivotal season

Keon Ellis was searching for a new home this offseason. After being traded by the Sacramento Kings at the deadline and then benched by the Cleveland Cavaliers late in the year, the fifth-year guard wanted a team that would appreciate what he could offer.

The Brooklyn Nets, specifically Ellis’ former coach Jordi Fernandez, offered just that.

“From what I heard, Jordi was pulling for me really hard,” Ellis said. “I know the way he coaches. He’s very passionate. He’s about the right things. He wants to win. So, the familiarity right there was definitely good. Even when I was playing with Dennis [Schroder] this season, he was saying he loved Jordi as a coach, too. So for other guys to be kind of saying the same things, you just know he’s about the right things.”

Keon Ellis on Jordi Fernandez and signing with the Nets:

“From what I heard, Jordi was pulling for me really hard. And I just know the way he coaches… So that familiarity was definitely good. Dennis [Schroder] was saying he loved Jordi as a coach, too. So for other guys to be… pic.twitter.com/7jdzlRoxWP

— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) July 12, 2026

The Nets signed Ellis to a two-year, $19 million contract on the opening night of free agency. Brooklyn can offer the 26-year-old a sizable role in a backcourt that features primarily first- and second-year players.

“[It was just] how much they wanted me,” Ellis said of his motivation for signing with Brooklyn. “How much they were offering, that kind of just speaks to how much the team wants you. Obviously, you’ve got some guys on the staff you’ve worked with before, so you kind of know the ropes a bit. And then the opportunity here as well. So, when you combine all those things, I think it just lined up right.”

It’s not hard to see why Fernandez and Brooklyn’s staff would covet Ellis’ skill set.

Keon Ellis looking forward to new opportunity with rebuilding Nets

The Nets have a glaring need for a point-of-attack defender after ranking 25th on that end last season. Ellis has proven capable in that regard throughout his first four NBA seasons.

“It’s just about the effort. I go out there and try to make it tough on guys,” Ellis said of his defense. “You’re playing against the best players in the world. They’re gonna score; they’re gonna get to their spots. You’re gonna have bad defensive games and good defensive games. But the mindset of trying to do the right things every night, be in the right spots, and just attack the game plan, that’ll help everyone accomplish the goal.

I’m not the greatest defender ever, but with team defense, everyone’s on the same page, that helps everyone a little bit better. Just me coming in, I’m more of a lead-by-example kind of guy. So I think me playing hard, that’s what motivates the next guy to go just as hard.”

The Nets have rookie Mikel Brown Jr. and sophomores Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Drake Powell in the backcourt. Fernandez is placing a premium on the example Ellis and Brooklyn’s other veterans — Julius Randle, Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann — can set.

“It’s making us more competitive and also making each other better. I think that they can challenge the young guys in a very good way,” Fernandez said of adding Ellis and Randle. “I think that that competition from within the group is important. They’re very good people, and they raise the floor for us to be a better team. From Julius to Keon and the [veteran] guys we had like Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann… You want to build the habits, and just these [young] guys working [with guys like them], that’s how you do it.”

While Ellis is somewhat limited offensively, he’s shot 40.7 percent from three across his four seasons. Fernandez showed a knack for bringing the most out of Brooklyn’s veteran additions during his first two seasons with the team.

“Just the consistency and an established role [will help me],” Ellis said. “A lot of things were up and down with moving parts [the last couple of seasons], and you just never really knew what was going on. The consistency really helped with that [in 2024-25 with the Kings]. You knew what was going on. There weren’t too many moving parts. So, that was just the biggest thing.”

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