The Nets announced that they’ve signed first-round pick Dariq Whitehead to his rookie contract on Monday night.
“It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, finally got to sign the contract today,” Whitehead said in a team released video. “It’s been exciting and a long journey but I’m happy that I was able to get this done.”
Whitehead was selected with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Duke. At 6-foot-7, 220-pounds, the Newark-native brings some much needed size to Brooklyn.
Whitehead averaged 8.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game on 42.1 percent shooting (42.9 percent from three) over 28 games (seven starts) last season for the Blue Devils.
Whitehead missed time at the beginning of the year due to foot surgery and recently underwent a second procedure in May. He is expected to be fully recovered and ready for the start of the 2023 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.