NBA-Nets waive forward Bargnani

Feb 20 (Reuters) - The Brooklyn Nets waived former No. 1 overall draft pick Andrea Bargnani on Saturday, signaling a new direction for the team under their recently hired general manager Sean Marks. Bargnani signed with the Nets in the off-season but provided disappointing returns, averaging just 6.6 points and 2.1 rebounds for a Nets team that is 15-40. Brooklyn announced that Marks would take over from Billy King earlier this week, and parting ways with Bargnani was his first move. Bargnani, 30, was a highly touted Italian prospect, a seven-footer with three-point range, when he was selected with the top pick in the 2006 draft by the Toronto Raptors. He spent seven seasons in Toronto with mixed results, the high point when he averaged more than 20 points per game in the 2010-11 campaign, before spending two years with the New York Knicks and then landing in Brooklyn. But he never reached his expected promise and has spent the last few years struggling to find a consistent role. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)