Now that the Nets have officially introduced Jordi Fernandez as the franchise’s next head coach, general manager Sean Marks said the team will now turn its attention toward the NBA Draft.
The only issue with that is, the Nets do not own any picks in this year’s draft, which will be held at Barclays Center on June 26. The Houston Rockets acquired Brooklyn’s 2024 first-round pick through the infamous James Harden deal in 2021. That same year, the Nets sent Sekou Doumbouya and an unprotected 2024 second-round pick to Houston in a bid to lower team payroll.
While the 2024 NBA Draft lottery will not be held until May 12, the Nets’ first-round pick owed to Houston this offseason could be as high as ninth, according to Tankathon. For a team that finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs, not having the draft capital to replenish the roster with young talent is a troubling thought to some — especially considering the franchise is entering 2024 with a first-year head coach.
However, when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Marks hinted that Brooklyn may have an ace somewhere up its sleeve as the draft draws near. He said fans should not rule out the idea of the Nets acquiring a first-round pick, or any pick, in the upcoming draft.
And if Brooklyn can pull it off, whether by flipping current assets, sending out cash considerations or other means, Marks said the team would likely take the best player available on its draft board.
“I think we look at the draft the same way every year,” Marks said. “If there’s somebody in there that, wow, they’re slipping, can we get in there at that particular pick? That would be important for us just to go and say, ‘Hey, we, we got the 20th pick, we got the 44th pick.’ That doesn’t do us any good. For us this year, it’s going to be more strategic. It’s about, ‘Is the player available at that pick? How do we get in there?’ So those conversations will be happening relatively soon, and they’ll be happening all the way up until [we’re potentially] on the clock.”
However, if the Nets do not make a move on draft night, fans should not fret. The team already has three developmental projects on its hands in Noah Clowney, Dariq Whitehead and Jalen Wilson, who were taken with the 21st, 22nd and 51st picks in 2023.
Those three players, all 23 or younger, need attention and minutes to properly develop under Fernandez. The same goes for Cam Thomas, 22, whose offensive production stood out in his third NBA season. And Marks seems to believe that Thomas’ best has yet to come.
“I think Cam had a heck of a year,” Marks said. “I’m not saying anything that anybody didn’t see for themselves. I really was intrigued about the responsibility Cam took in his own development, in terms of we all knew he could go get a bucket. We all knew the confidence that he plays with which, some of that you just, to be quite honest, it can’t be taught, right? So, it’s innately who he is and how he’s built. But it’s him being a facilitator out there, him playing with others, him making other people look good. And I think we saw that over the course of the year, taking a little bit more emphasis on the defensive side of the ball, too, scrapping for loose balls, getting in there for defensive rebounds. So, I got to give Cam a lot of credit because his game has developed over the course of last year.”
While the idea of throwing another young player into the fray is enticing, it is important that the Nets do not lose focus on maximizing the young talent already on the roster. Losing sight of that will only make the team’s rebuild, in whatever form that may take, far more drawn out.
Drafting is fun. But in-house development is how you build a championship contender.
“You never know how your players are going to take that leap, some take it quicker than others,” Marks said. “So, the hope with some of these guys on this roster is that they can take that leap maybe quicker than us. I never want to limit them to that. I think we know from 2016 to 2019, this roster looked a whole lot different in three years. So, the opportunity to do that in Brooklyn is certainly a viable one when you’re able to build and you’re able to build quicker than in some other markets. It’s a big market, it attracts stars, per say, if you want to do that. But let’s not lose sight of developing our own and having success and continuing to draft well.”
