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The NBA Draft lottery didn't go the Brooklyn Nets' way on Monday night. They had the sixth-best odds of jumping up to the No. 1 overall pick, but Brooklyn fell down two spots to the No. 8 selection. Despite a tough night, the Nets are still a team many are watching as the draft approaches. General manager Sean Marks proved throughout his career that he can make the most of his resources in trades.
At this point in the year, the NBA offseason revolves around two players; Cooper Flagg and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Nets were in the race for both heading into the lottery. Now that they know the order of the draft, many expect Brooklyn to pursue the Greek Freak with more intensity, according to Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. They hope to add him to their young core alongside Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton.
The Nets have four picks in the first round of this year's draft(Nos. 8, 19, 26, and 27). Marks has options to move up and down in the draft depending on how things shake out in front of him. As of this moment, his moves are made with the mindset of building the team around Thomas and Claxton.
Experts around the league believe that every player on their roster is available for the right price except maybe those two. They could also package some of their picks together in order to move up. One team that could hear them out could be the San Antonio Spurs, who own pick Nos. 2 and 14 in the lottery.
The Spurs are focused on building around Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle for the next decade. Netting two first round picks for the price of one could be appealing to a team looking to step smoothly into the post-Gregg Popovich era.
The Nets are a big player in this year's offseason, thanks to their cap space and assets they have at their disposal. After the trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden failed, Brooklyn could be more hesitant as they look for another star.
Antetokounmpo might end up there, but he is far from the only option the Nets have.
