The big news early out of July 4th in Sacramento, California, was that Mikel Brown Jr., the Brooklyn Nets highest draft pick in 16 years, would not play — and won’t play again till Monday, missing Sunday’s action as well as Saturday’s. Later though the big news was not what Brown didn’t do, but what Egor Demin did do in his 23 minutes and 46 seconds. He changed his narrative.
The player who many saw last year as unwilling or unable to touch the paint, finish the play over and over again. The added
weight and muscle may have been one reason for the difference, but clearly so was his confidence in himself not just as an NBA player but as a leader…
Take a look at the highlights:
He spoke to our Shara Talia Taylor specifically about how he wants to be seen this year: someone capable of handling pressure…
This is of course would be the second time the 6’9.5” Russian has changed his narrative. When he was drafted, the league saw him as the prospect with perhaps the best court vision in his class but a woeful outside shooter. The Nets, however, dismissed that concern and he proved them right. He was along with Kon Knueppel, the best volume 3-point shooter among rookies, closely following Knueppel in the race to become the fastest player in NBA history to 100 threes and setting a rookie record for most consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
Instead the concerns were that he wasn’t getting to the paint and finishing. How much of that was his issue and how much was the Nets offensive structure was cause for some debate. And the plantar fasciitis troubled him during last summer and again at the end of the season. Was that a factor? He seems healthy now and more mature. He’s less that gangly, almost goofy kid. Last month, in one example of personal growth, he was baptized into the Mormon faith.
It all bodes well for him and the organization as does the prospect of a Demin/Brown backcourt with both capable of being lead guard. There are still going to be issues going forward, some of which Lucas Kaplan touched on at the end of last season in his retrospective but as a senior NBA decision-maker told ND early last season, “You’ll see development sooner than years end…. But in 3-4 years when you have actual players around him, you will really really see it.” Progress.
On the other hand, there were some cringeworthy moments for one of the two other members of the Flatbush 5 who played vs. the Kings. Drake Powell had some nice moments early guarding Darius Acuff but offensively, he was horrid. No other way to put it. He was 0-of-9 including five misses without a make from deep and turned the ball over four times in 27 minutes, tied for most on the team with Ben Saraf who also showed early on defense had a reputable if not spectacular offensive game.
Is Free Agency over? Or delayed a year?
Bottom line: we don’t know.
It’s fair to say that the Nets made their big off-season moves early, trading Nic Claxton and the 33rd pick (Isaiah Evans) in a three-team deal with Minnesota and Chicago that yielded Julius Randle and the 28th pick (Joshua Jefferson), then picked Mikel Brown at No. 6 which was the consensus pick and was applauded by most of the fan base. They filled things out by taking Jefferson and then at No. 43, UCLA sharpshooter Tyler Bilodeau who they promptly signed to a two-way.
Since then, they made two moves to add players to their rotation: 3-and-D point guard Keon Ellis and stretch-5 big Moe Wagner. Neither got the fan base nor pundits very much excited but a couple of league sources liked, if not loved, the additions, particularly in light of their reps as good locker room guys in a locker room which once again is looking like the league’s youngest. Currently, the Nets average age is something like 23.4 years old.
Moreover, the two will have “mutual options” next Summer, an odd contract wrinkle. A mutual option guarantees each player the full amount of the deal while allowing either side to opt-in (not opt-out) and have a conversation about a new contract next summer.
At the moment, capologists estimate that the Nets have about $25 million of cap space left as Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron tweeted after news of the agreements with Ellis and Wagner:
That number is mushy, as Gozlan notes, and that will likely remain so until at least Monday. Here’s why: The Nets haven’t completed the Randle/Claxton trade and haven’t officially signed either Ellis or Wagner. That trade can be — and likely will be — expanded and within that possibility there are all manner of permutations, additions, etc., that can make for a much bigger trade.
The Kevin Durant trade between Phoenix and Houston last season started off as a two-man deal, then ultimately expanded to seven teams, including the Nets trade of the rights of Adou Thiero, their No. 36 in the 2025 Draft to the Suns for two future firsts (one of whom became Tyler Bilodeau.)
Expect to start hearing news on that in the next few hours or by tomorrow. So stay tuned. Once the deal is done, Joshua Jefferson will be able to suit up since he’s part of the deal. He’s the 28th pick that the Nets wound up with in the exchange.
At the moment, the only rumor out there is Nets interest in Rui Hachimura, the Lakers big, but that seems unlikely in that the 6’9” forward doesn’t fit much of a need — he played most of last year at the 3 and 4 with an occasional few minutes at the 5 — and he made $18.3 million last season.
As for Peyton Watson, long rumored as a Nets target, the Nuggets are trying to find a way to keep him around, but will risk going over the second apron to keep him. On the other side of that risk assessment, they risk losing Nikola Jokic who has made it clear he wants to win. Recent reports indicate Watson wants a deal in excess of $25 million. That’s doable, of course, for Brooklyn and Joe Tsai. Watson hasn’t been seen in the Denver area of late. He’s been sailing the Mediterranean on a yacht with his old friend Michael Porter Jr.! Would like to have been a fly on that wall.
However, it is indeed possible that this is it for the Nets front office. They will have 15 players with guaranteed deals if the trade goes down as originally described and with with Ellis and Wagner signed.
It would signal that while the tank is over, the rebuild will continue into next Summer when the free agent pool is deeper. In fact, it is insanely deep. At the moment, no Nets player has more than two years left on his contract, although Sean Marks & co. will have to make decisions on each of the Flatbush 5 come October 31. That’s the date that first rounders selected in the 2025 Draft can be extended beyond their second year. And they have yet to trade any of their 35 Draft picks this off-season and if things don’t change, they’ll go into the season under the cap. Flexibility continues.
We shall see … and soon.
Final Note
July 4th weekend is over and the Nets are 1-1 in the California Classic which choses tomorrow with a game between the Nets and Warriors Monday night. It’s a late one, 8:00 p.m. ET. Then it’s on to Las Vegas where the Nets play the Knicks on July 10. After Vegas, there won’t be any Nets games for nearly four months. Enjoy them. Four months is a long time.
