NBA
The Brooklyn Nets are fully guaranteeing Royce O’Neale’s $9.5 million contract for the 2023-24 season
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated10 Jul 2023
In his 2022-23 campaign with the Brooklyn Nets, Royce O’Neale played two different roles. At the beginning of the season, he was a starter for the Nets. After trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, that was no longer the case. He then moved to a bench role once the Nets had a surplus of wing players. O’Neale never waivered and he was ready for whatever the team needed. With that, the Nets fully guaranteed O’Neale’s $9.5 million contract for the 2023-24 season.
For the first five seasons of his career, O’Neale played for the Utah Jazz. The Nets acquired him via trade last season for a 2023 first-round pick. He started his career internationally for a few seasons after going undrafted out of Baylor. The 2022-23 season was his first year with the Nets.
It was a hectic year, to say the least for the Brooklyn Nets. Everyone on the team had to play a new role once Durant and Irving were traded. There were four new starters after the trade deadline. O’Neale accepted being moved to a bench role and that showed his character as a teammate.
The Brooklyn Nets will fully guarantee Royce O’Neale’s $9.5 million salary for the 2023-24 season, league sources told @hoopshype. O’Neale, a versatile swingman and defender, played in 76 games for Brooklyn last season averaging 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 10, 2023
Royce O’Neale’s $9.5 million 2023-24 contract was fully guaranteed by the Nets
In 76 games played last season for the Nets, Royce O’Neale made 53 starts. He only started one game after the trade deadline. Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson were instantly slotted above him on the depth chart once they were acquired by Brooklyn.
O’Neale has never been a superstar player in the NBA, but he shined last season with Brooklyn as a starter. His (.386) three-point percentage last season was well above the league average. On top of that, he played intense defense and was a true two-way threat for Brooklyn.
With their roster as it stands, O’Neale might once again play that off-the-bench role. Last season he averaged a career-high (8.8) points, (3.7) assists and (31.7) minutes per game. After the 2023-24 season, O’Neale is an unrestricted free agent. He’ll be 31 and then could look to leave for a bigger role elsewhere.
