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The Brooklyn Nets are eyeing a move up the board in Wednesday's NBA Draft. Armed with five first-round picks (Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26, 27), the team has inquired with several teams in the top five — including the San Antonio Spurs (No. 2), Philadelphia 76ers (No. 3) and Charlotte Hornets (No. 4) — about trades, league sources told ClutchPoints.
While Brooklyn is interested in moving up to No. 2, league circles have indicated that it would take a godfather offer to pry the pick away from the Spurs. San Antonio is poised to select Rutgers star Dylan Harper to pair with Victor Wembanyama.
However, the Nets are interested in several prospects outside of Harper who are likely to be off the board before No. 8. They've held workouts with Tre Johnson, Jeremiah Fears and Kon Kneuppel. Ace Bailey reportedly views Brooklyn as one of his preferred destinations, alongside the Washington Wizards (No. 6) and New Orleans Pelicans (No. 7).
But what would it take for the Nets to pull off a trade into the top five?
Nets eyeing trade up the draft board after acquiring fifth first-round pick
The price wouldn't be insignificant. However, Brooklyn has no shortage of assets at its disposal. With five first-round picks this year, veterans such as Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton, and cap space to absorb unwanted contracts, general manager Sean Marks has several avenues to craft deals.
In Philadelphia's case, the Nets' cap space could be intriguing. Shedding Paul George's contract would generate significant financial flexibility moving forward. However, it's unclear whether Brooklyn would consider taking on the remaining three years, $162 million of George's deal. Such a move would be surprising, given Marks' emphasis on the importance of financial flexibility in the new CBA.
With Bailey canceling his pre-draft workout with the 76ers and signaling he'd prefer to play elsewhere, rival teams expect Philadelphia to either select Baylor's VJ Edgecombe or trade its pick.
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Charlotte has reported interest in Edgecombe and Kneuppel. The latter could conceivably be available at No. 8 if the team traded back. Rival teams have also speculated that the Hornets could target Duke center Khaman Maluach.
Should the Nets strike out on a move up from No. 8, they could trade up from No. 19 into the late lottery.
The Raptors hold the No. 9 pick and have been dangling RJ Barrett in trade discussions with multiple teams, sources told ClutchPoints. Brooklyn has previously explored a framework that would send Cam Johnson and No. 19 to Toronto for No. 9 and “a bad contract,” according to NetsDaily.
Phoenix at No. 10 could be another trade partner. After trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, the Suns must shed more salary if they hope to dip below the second apron. They also need a center as they re-tool their roster around Devin Booker and have been linked to Claxton.
The Nets have done their due diligence on several late-lottery prospects. They've met with French forward Noa Essengue, ranked No. 9 on ESPN's big board.
“We had good conversations. That was pretty cool. A good feeling. Nice people in the gym. Nice people around me,” Essengue told ClutchPoints of the meeting.
Brooklyn also hosted Cedric Coward and Carter Bryant for pre-draft workouts. Both players are projected to be taken in the late lottery of most mock drafts.
