NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets used all 5 of their first-round picks within the 2025 NBA draft Wednesday evening, changing into the primary crew in league historical past to make 5 picks within the opening spherical.
Maybe much more stunning than the truth that they saved all their picks: 4 of the 5 gamers the Nets took are guards, with three of them being level guards.
Brooklyn entered the evening with picks No. 8, 19, 22, 26 and 27, fueling hypothesis that the Nets 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, common supervisor Sean Marks used all of them, cementing what was already broadly assumed: Brooklyn can be in a developmental part throughout the 2025-26 season, even because the Japanese Convention seems to be broad open with plenty of the highest golf equipment — the Bucks, Cavs, Celtics and Pacers amongst them — coping with key accidents.
Marks started the evening by taking Egor Demin, a 6-foot-9 ground common and dazzling passer from Russia by way of BYU, then adopted that up by choosing one other level guard in 6-5 playmaker Nolan Traoré from France. Each got here off the board sooner than anticipated, as ESPN’s remaining mock draft projected Demin and Traoré 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 massive man Danny Wolf to spherical issues out.
“I am thrilled with the group we received tonight,” Marks mentioned of utilizing all 5 of the picks. “We have got some guys who play the fitting method, transfer the ball the fitting method and have some untapped expertise there.”
The Nets additionally personal the No. 36 total choose when the draft resumes Thursday.
The historic use of the picks begins a summer time by which coach Jordi Fernandez and his Brooklyn membership must work out a handful of roster questions, together with the way forward for ahead Cameron Johnson and Cam Thomas’ restricted free company.
Nevertheless, one factor appears clear: With D’Angelo Russell hitting free company and the membership 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.