Ryan Boatright feeling good about making the Nets

Brooklyn has a need at the position after Deron Williams agreed to a buyout two weeks ago so he could sign with the Mavericks, and the Nets shipped Steve Blake to the Pistons less than a month after acquiring him. Jarrett Jack and Shane Larkin head a depth chart that Boatright, who inked a two-year, $1.4 million minimum deal with $75,000 guaranteed if he's on the roster Aug. 1 -- is hopeful of joining.

"I haven't gotten a 'for sure,' but they have been making the moves to tell you that I am here," Boatright said in Las Vegas last week. "But I am going to continue to work, and continue forward and do what I've got to do until I get that guarantee."

In four games in Las Vegas, Boatright averaged 14.3 points and shot 45.5 percent from the field, making 47.8 percent of his attempts beyond the arc and 84.2 percent from the free-throw line before sitting out the final two games while nursing neck spasms. The 22-year-old's most memorable moment may have been his late-game bucket against the Bulls, when he made a nifty spin move to get to the basket and converted a three-point play to put the Nets ahead with 2.4 seconds remaining, lifting them to victory.