When the Brooklyn Nets entered Wednesday night’s NBA Draft holding five first-round picks, they were sitting on unprecedented potential.
Most analysts assumed they would use that war chest to trade up or offload some picks for future assets. After all, no team in NBA history had ever walked away from a draft with five first-rounders.
Rather than manoeuvring for immediate star power or cutting deals to defer value down the road, Brooklyn opted to embrace the unknown and go all-in on youth.
They made all five selections, becoming the first franchise in NBA history to assemble a five-man first-round draft class in a single night. It was a decision that not only made headlines but signaled a sharp philosophical turn for a franchise in flux.
This all started earlier in the week when Brooklyn jumped in as the third team in the Kristaps Porzingis trade between the Celtics and Hawks, netting them the 22nd overall pick. That gave them five selections heading into the draft.
With little pressure to win immediately in the 2025/26 season, the Nets now find themselves in an unprecedented position, theoretically able to field an entire lineup of rookies selected in the same draft.
The Nets used their No. 8 overall pick to select Egor Demin, a 6’9″ point guard from BYU. With the 19th pick, the Nets took Nolan Traore, a dynamic 6’4″ point guard from France. Three picks later at No. 22, they grabbed Drake Powell, a 6’6″ wing from North Carolina. The No. 26 pick was used on Ben Saraf, a rising combo guard from Israel. Finally, at No. 27, the Nets selected Danny Wolf, a skilled 6’11” power forward from Michigan.
Demin pick surprises, but Nets bet big on raw upside and positional variety
The decision to keep all five picks was a surprise given how many trades took place between picks 15 and 30. However, Brooklyn clearly had a strategy in mind and perhaps a willingness to absorb short-term growing pains for the chance to build a long-term foundation from scratch.
Among their selections, the choice of Demin early raised eyebrows. He wasn’t widely expected to be taken in the top 10, yet the Nets saw something others didn’t. He joins two other lead guards in Traore and Saraf, while Wolf brings versatility as a point forward. Together, the group represents a bold cross-section of skill sets that Brooklyn hopes can be developed in tandem.
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