From the New York Post’s Marc Berman :
In the wake of failed physicals by Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Robert “Tractor” Traylor, the Nets, according to a league source, have reached an agreement with Rockets free agent Scott Padgett.
Padgett (above), a career backup, must, of course, pass his physical this week. Padgett has agreed to a one-year deal at $1.6 million, plus a second-year team option the Nets likely will exercise.
The Post has also learned the Nets rejected Traylor due to a heart problem along the lines of Laker draft pick Ronny Turiaf. The Lakers rookie has an enlarged aorta and needed an operation last month. The Nets didn’t want to take a risk on a player who might need surgery down the road.
The addition of Padgett, a sixth-year pro out of Kentucky, gives the Nets a big-man shooter off the bench, though he’s hardly an athletic sort. But the Nets felt they needed another body off the bench who can make a 12-to-18-foot jump shot, as their attempts to land another legit shooting guard appear iffy.