The Brooklyn Nets welcomed three players to their roster during a 2023 NBA Draft that featured plenty of surprise picks and draft-day trades.

The Washington Wizards traded for the No. 7 pick in exchange for the No. 8 pick and two second-rounders. The Houston Rockets were able to take Villanova forward Cam Whitmore after he slipped down to No. 20 in Thursday's draft. He was taken with the No. 8 pick in the most recent mock draft from ClutchPoints.

The Nets entered the draft with a need for extra depth at the four. Forward Dorian Finney-Smith, centers Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe will all be under contract for the Nets during the 2023-24 season, according to sports contract and salaries website Spotrac. Forward Cameron Johnson will be a restricted free agent in the 2023 offseason.

Did the Nets find a way to add extra forward depth and set up a foundation for what could be a new era in Nets basketball?

Noah Clowney

Clowney, a 6-foot-10-inch forward from Alabama, was taken by the Nets with the No. 21 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

A former four-star recruit from Spartanburg, S.C., Clowney committed to the Crimson Tide over offers from Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Indiana, South Carolina, South Carolina Upstate, Tennessee and Xavier, according to 247Sports. He averaged 9.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game over 36 games played in his lone season at Alabama.

Noah highlighted his defensive ability in a Thursday article from USA Today's For The Win.

“I feel like defensively, I can do a little bit of everything. I protect the rim, you feel me?” Clowney said, via For The Win. “I can guard multiple positions.”

Dariq Whitehead

Whitehead was taken by the Nets with the No. 22 pick in Thursday's draft.

The 6-foot-7-inch forward from Duke earned averages of 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and one assist per game in 28 games played with the Blue Devils. He led Duke's roster with a 42.9% average from the 3-point line during the 2022-23 season.

Whitehead underwent a right foot procedure earlier this month. He is expected to be fully recovered for the start of NBA training camp, according to ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Duke head coach Jon Scheyer took pride in Whitehead's ability to hit huge shots for the team in a Thursday tweet.

“I’m really excited for Dariq. He’s the youngest player in the draft, he has so much more room to grow,” Scheyer said, via On3. “He hit huge shots for us all season long. He has great feel. He’s won at the highest level ever since high school — showed that with us as well.

“He’s a great teammate, he’s a great guy to be around every single day. And if I’m somebody (with an NBA team), I’m taking him knowing that he’s going to get so much better because of how young he is and the room that he has to grow.”

Jalen Wilson

The Nets took Kansas forward Jalen Wilson with the 51st pick.

Wilson, a four-year veteran with the Jayhawks, earned averages of 20.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for Kansas during the 2022-23 season. He has 104 games of collegiate experience under his belt. The 6-foot-8-inch forward went over how his experience at Kansas separated himself from other rookies during an NBA Draft Combine interview in May.

“My experiences at Kansas definitely helped me out a lot,” Wilson said. “Obviously, winning a national championship gives me a lot of different looks at the game as far as how to compete, down 15 and find a way to come back.

“Just being a winner. Just being able to be called a winner is something special and I hold pride to. There's not a lot of guys that just walk around as National Champions. It's definitely a blessing.”