It's a pretty simple formula for the Brooklyn Nets this summer.
Priority No. 1 is working out extensions for Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. They will have to do some wiggling around and it obviously won't be cheap, but it's what the Nets have to do and they know as does everyone else.
Secondly, Brooklyn needs to find ways to add some veteran talent or retain pieces they had this past year that are set to hit free agency like Bruce Brown and Blake Griffin. It's possible they will be able to add mostly via the veteran's minimum only which could limit the interest for some.
The same can be said for the Nets and their first-round selection. While it will be difficult given they are picking at the end of round one, the focus for Brooklyn needs to be finding someone who can contribute in someway right from the start. Here are the three best options for the Nets at No. 27 in the 2021 NBA Draft, ranked.
3.) Jeremiah Robinson-Earl – Villanova
The Nets aren't looking for a project or a raw talent in the NBA Draft. They are in position to win a title now and the window is the next few years. With that being the case, they need to draft someone who has a high floor even though the ceiling might be limited. So goes the issue of picking so late in round one.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was a very productive player for Jay Wright at Villanova.
He can space things out offensively and he's a very savvy player.
Robinson-Earl isn't likely to ever be in all-star in the NBA and he's not going to blow people away with some outstanding ability to takeover a game. He's just a very sound player who does everything well.
Robinson-Earl could come off the bench for the Nets right from the start of the season and give them solid minutes as part of Steve Nash's rotation. He has a great sense on the floor and is a decent three-point shooter.
Having Robinson-Earl get to them at No. 27 would be a perfect scenario and a perfect fit for what the Nets need to add to their roster via the draft.
2.) Jared Butler – Baylor
It's impossible to have too much shooting in the NBA. The Nets have Durant, Harden, Irving and Joe Harris, just to name a few of the snipers on their roster.
Jared Butler was a knockdown shooter for Baylor as part of a three-headed monster at guard last season.
While his teammate Davion Mitchell will likely be taken in the top 10 of the draft, Butler projects as a late first-round pick but a solid one at that.
He's a prospect that will be ready to give legitimate minutes right from the start of the year regardless of where he ends up.
Like Robinson-Earl, the ceiling has a lower cap but the floor is high for Butler.
As far as the three-point shooting goes, Butler does it in a variety of ways.
He does it by working off of his dribble, he does it in spot-up scenarios and he even excels working off screens to lock and load from the outside. He can provide some instant offense off the bench for Steve Nash with the second unit.
1.) Ayo Dosunmu – Illinois
For someone who is projected to go late in the first round or early in round two, Ayo Dosunmu does a lot of things very well.
Dosunmu was the heart and soul of Illinois' team last season, taking them to a Big Ten Tournament Championship victory and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Nets could use another solid reserve guard and Dosunmu would be a perfect fit for a couple of reasons.
One, there are obviously a lot of mouths to feed with the Nets. Dosunmu is an excellent distributor and facilitator that puts his teammates in excellent spots to succeed. He's a selfless guard who has great vision and superb pass making abilities.
Along with that, Dosunmu improved his own shooting tremendously. After shooting roughly 32% in his first two years at Illinois from the perimeter, Dosunmu upped that mark to 39% last season for the Fighting Illini.
The Nets need a player who can provide a chunk of minutes as part of the second unit with their first-round pick. That can be tricky to find so late in the draft but there will be some viable options that should be on the board for Brooklyn when they pick.
Perhaps they trade the pick and package it with a player to acquire another veteran player. If they keep it, they wouldn't go wrong in selecting from any of these three prospects.
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