ESSAY: From Draft Night to Free Agency, Brooklyn Nets doing it their way

Everything you need to know about the Brooklyn Nets, as of July 1, 2025.

The Brooklyn Nets and its fans went into the NBA Draft with angst and anticipation.

Consensus is in — it wasn’t a success and it wasn’t a failure! We won’t know for a bit despite feedback. But the Brooklyn Nets took a chance with five players few probably expected, particularly Egor Demin at No. 8. We aren’t going to act like we know all that goes on behind the scenes, and these are the people who get paid to do it.

In Brooklyn, for better or worse, Sean Marks and co. are going to do it their way. That goes for the Draft and it goes for their most recent offseason moves, the latest surrounding Cam Johnson and Michael Porter Jr. The upside in the draft day “gambles” are high, but will it work? If so, how long will it take?

Here’s what they landed at the Draft

• Egor Demin (Russia)
• Nolan Traoré (France)
• Drake Powell (USA)
• Ben Saraf (Israel)
• Danny Wolf (Israeli-American)

That rings a couple bells…

• The first four players are 19 years old (Wolf is 21).
• They’re all taller than 6’5”.
• Demin, Traoré, and Saraf are guards with Demin a possibility for a larger role.
• Demin, Traoré, and Saraf are from different countries and Wolf, an Illinois native, has dual citizenship

This screams the influence of one Jordi Fernandez, native of Spain and head coach of an extremely talented Canadian national team led by MVP and Finals MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Depending on how it goes, fans will either call it innovative and genius or a swing and an miss. (They may even call it both at various times!)

That’s why the first night of free agency felt predictable — and necessary.

• Signed UFA Ziaire Williams (2 years, $12M)
• Signed UFA Day’Ron Sharpe (2 years, $12M)
• Traded Cam Johnson to Denver for Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 1st-round pick

We wait for news on Cam Thomas… among others.

Aside from the international factor, and we may see one more signing, the past week fits with everything Marks, Fernandez and the Nets seemingly want to build, particularly with a majority of “homegrown” players amid a new CBA. It’s no mystery.

“I do think it is important to have guys under contract that you control the contracts, so to speak. You drafted them, you developed them, and they got to their second contract under your watch. It’s difficult when you’re trying to acquire max-level talent on max contracts. Those days are probably gone, of going and getting 2-3 max free agents and so forth. Those are gonna be more difficult to do, but I think it’s important to have some value contracts on your roster,” Marks said at Brooklyn’s end-of-season interviews.

Here’s how things are turning out since the Finals ended

• Added: Michael Porter Jr., Egor Demin, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell, Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf, Terance Mann
• Retained: Day’Ron Sharpe, Ziaire Williams
• Lost: Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell, Trendon Watford
• RFA: Cam Thomas

Here’s what the financial situation looks like (July 1, 2025)

And a general overview (July 1, 2025)

So, the inevitable is here. The Nets are absorbing players and their salary in return for picks, specifically Terance Mann (Hawks 2025 1st round pick) and Porter Jr. (2032 unprotected 1st round pick from Denver).

Assuming Cam Thomas will stay, then a total 11 homegrown players are currently Brooklyn Nets: Thomas, Claxton, Sharpe, Whitehead, Wilson, Clowney, Demin, Sraf, Powell, Traore, andWolf.

The team will likely bottom out. Thomas and Porter Jr. are going to have the green light. And the plan will continue… compete and develop, but lose enough games to have a chance at a better pick in 2026. The same reason why Marks traded more picks to get his own back in 2025 AND 2026. Perhaps another disconnection like we saw in Marks first years: having a good coach but tanking. And yes, another long year.

After the 2025-26 season, the light needs to go on. From the ground up, the Nets are doing it their way. It’ll be a few years until we know whether it’s the right way. Probably not before.