UNC Basketball Alumni: Nets extend qualifying offer Theo Pinson

The Brooklyn Nets have extended their qualifying article to former UNC Basketball standout Theo Pinson just days before the start of free agency.

Former University of North Carolina standout Theo Pinson could get the chance to test free agency when the period opens up on Sunday night for the first time in his career.

After spending two seasons in the Brooklyn Nets organization, Pinson may have a new home come next season but the team does still have the chance to re-sign him. On Friday, The Athletic’s Michael Scotto reported that the Nets have extended the qualifying offer for Pinson and point guard D’Angelo Russell, making them both restricted free agents.

Both players can sign an offer sheet with other teams interested in their services come Sunday’s start of Free Agency at 6 p.m. but the Nets have the right to match the offer.

While Russell is all but gone with the rumors of Kyrie Irving set to join Brooklyn, Pinson could be on his way back. After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, Pinson has spent the majority of his two-year NBA career on a two-way contract with the Nets. He’s split time in the G-League and NBA but appears to have improved his game at the next level.

Pinson was added to Brooklyn’s playoff roster this season, averaging 3 points per game and played in 22 minutes as the Nets fell in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers. Throughout his time in the G-League, Pinson improved on his three-point shot by shooting  38.5 percent from beyond the arc. That percentage fell to 26.1 percent with the Nets in the NBA but his overall field goal percentage was up to 34 percent.

It’s unlikely Pinson gets a big deal anywhere else and Brooklyn is expected to match the offer and bring him back again for 2019-20.

For more on Pinson and other former UNC Basketball players in the NBA, please check back with Keeping It Heel.