NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets used all 5 of their first-round picks within the 2025 NBA draft Wednesday night time, changing into the primary crew in league historical past to make 5 picks within the opening spherical.
Maybe much more shocking than the Nets conserving all of their picks, 4 of the 5 gamers chosen are guards, together with three level guards.
Brooklyn entered the draft with choose Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26 and 27, fueling hypothesis the crew would commerce at the least a few them to tweak the roster or consolidate them for an even bigger haul sooner or later. As an alternative, basic supervisor Sean Marks used all of them, cementing what was already broadly assumed: Brooklyn will probably be in a developmental section through the 2025-26 season, even because the Jap Convention seems to be vast open with numerous the highest golf equipment — the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers amongst them — coping with key accidents.
Marks started the night time by taking Egor Demin, a 6-foot-9 ground basic and dazzling passer from Russia through BYU, then adopted that by choosing one other level guard in 6-5 playmaker Nolan Traore from France. Each got here off the board sooner than anticipated, as ESPN’s ultimate mock draft projected Demin and Traore to be taken thirteenth and twenty second, respectively.
North Carolina wing Drake Powell grew to become the Nets’ third choice earlier than Brooklyn took Israeli level guard Ben Saraf and Michigan large man Danny Wolf to spherical it out.
“I am thrilled with the group we obtained tonight,” Marks mentioned of utilizing all 5 of the picks. “We have some guys who play the proper means, transfer the ball the proper means and have some untapped expertise there.”
The Nets additionally maintain the No. 36 choose when the draft resumes Thursday.
The historic use of the picks begins a summer time during which coach Jordi Fernandez and the crew must work out a handful of roster questions, together with the way forward for ahead Cameron Johnson and restricted free agent Cam Thomas.
However one factor appears clear: With D’Angelo Russell hitting free company and the crew having had a revolving door of level guards since Kyrie Irving was traded to Dallas in 2023, the rookie draft picks are going to have an opportunity to run the present because the Nets look towards the longer term.