The Brooklyn Nets are promoting draft architect B.J. Johnson to assistant general manager, the team announced Wednesday. After joining the organization alongside general manager Sean Marks in 2016, Johnson quickly rose to director of player evaluation. He has led Brooklyn's draft preparation for the last four seasons.

The team has hit on several late picks during that span, selecting Nic Claxton 31st overall in 2019 and Cam Thomas 27th overall in 2021. Claxton has emerged as one of the NBA's top defensive centers while flashing a growing offensive skillset over the last two seasons. The Georgia product signed a four-year, $97 million contract extension this summer. Meanwhile, Thomas led the Nets in scoring last season, averaging 22.5 points per game on 44/36/86 shooting splits.

Brooklyn also selected Noah Clowney 21st overall in 2023 before taking Jalen Wilson late in the second round. Clowney has the look of a future starter due to his floor spacing and shot-blocking. Wilson flashed his three-and-D potential as a reserve wing during his rookie season. The former Big-12 Player of the Year was named this year's Summer League MVP, averaging 21.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game on 55.0 percent shooting from three.

How BJ Johnson's promotion impacts Nets' future

Johnson will replace former Nets assistant GM Jeff Peterson, who joined the Charlotte Hornets in February as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. He'll work directly under Marks alongside fellow assistant GM Andy Birdsong.

“I think some of our guys have done a terrific job,” Marks said earlier this offseason when asked about Peterson's departure. “In terms of just simply drafting, I mean, you want to take BJ Johnson. BJ runs our draft and has done so for the last several years. So, there’ll be more pressure and more responsibility placed on several of the guys in-house here.”

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
Ranking 3 best Fred VanVleet free-agency destinations if he leaves Rockets
Ty Jerome Cavaliers
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Over the next 10 months, Johnson will prepare for Brooklyn's most crucial draft in over a decade.

The Nets have not picked inside the lottery since 2010, when they selected Derrick Favors third overall out of Georgia Tech. But after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks and regaining their 2025 first-round pick from the Houston Rockets, they are in line for a top selection next June. The 2025 draft features a loaded class headlined by Duke forward Cooper Flagg and Rutgers stars Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.

The strength of the 2025 and 2026 draft classes played a role in Brooklyn's decision to trade Bridges and pivot to a rebuild.

“We're always looking two, three, four years ahead to try to navigate a pathway,” Marks said after the move. “I think when we were looking at this with us not holding our picks, honestly, that would have been detrimental with those two draft classes. So now we know we have quite a number of picks, especially in 2025. We'll see how we navigate that, but we're excited about what the future holds.”

Following the Bridges trade, the Nets have four first-round picks in 2025. They have 15 total over the next seven years.