Oshae Brissett, who won an NBA тιтle in June and was in camp with Jordi Fernandez’s Team Canada a month later, has landed with the Long Island Nets.
Fernandez told The Post that the signing had nothing to do with him, that Brissett earned his spot all on his own merit.
But he added that the 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward is an NBA talent, and he’s happy to have him in the Nets organization.
“But definitely I have no doubt in my mind that he has a place in this league, and I really enjoyed my time with him. And as young as he is, he has to take this opportunity to showcase his talent, be part of a team that wants to do the winning together. And he can help us. We can help him. So, a kid with a lot of potential and definitely NBA talent.”
Brissett played three seasons with Indiana, his best in 2021-22 when he averaged 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 67 games.
The defensive specialist played 55 games for Boston last season, averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 boards in 11.5 minutes. He hit just 27.3 percent from deep, but ended with a ring.
His greatest contribution was in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals when Joe Mazzulla used him at small ball center and he had three steals to finish plus-15 in 12 minutes.
But Brissett declined his $2.5 million player option and pulled out of Team Canada to look for a new team where he could get more playing time. He didn’t find one … that is, until landing with the Long Island Nets.
“I wanted to get out and be around guys who wanted me to be myself, and those are the kind of conversations I had with the Nets guys before I signed,” Brissett told Hardwood Houdini. “So, it was more, more of that.”
Fernandez insists he didn’t call in any favors to get his former player inked.
