Oklahoma Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears (0) is introduced before a game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State University Cowboys at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. Oklahoma won 80-65. BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brooklyn Nets Work Out Jeremiah Fears Ahead of 2025 NBA Draft

Originally posted on Brooklyn Nets on SI
By Wilko Martinez-Cachero | Last updated May 15, 2025 10:30 AM ET

Projected lottery pick Jeremiah Fears confirmed that he had met with the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.

The Oklahoma point guard revealed that he had worked out for the Nets and sat down with the organization’s brass in comments picked up by ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater at the draft combine. Fears was mocked to Brooklyn at No. 8 by The Athletic’s most recent mock draft. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists this season.

“The conversations [were] great,” Fears said. “They just were telling me how they think I could kind of fit in with the system and just be an overall good piece for them.”

The 18-year-old, who has been working out in New York City to prepare for the NBA, has also met with the Washington Wizards. Fears measured at 6-foot2½ barefoot with a 6-foot-5¼ wingspan this week. The Nets have met with Kon Knueppel (Duke), Egor Demin (BYU) and Carter Bryant (Arizona) as well, per Slater. Knueppel is slated to work out for Brooklyn soon.

The Nets had the sixth-best odds headed into the draft lottery on Monday, but slid down two spots to No. 8. Brooklyn is armed with four more picks in this draft at Nos. 19, 26, 27 and 36. Prospects linked to the organization with those elections include Georgia freshman forward Asa Newell, Real Madrid and Spain wing Hugo González, St. Joe’s forward Rasheer Fleming, North Carolina freshman swingman Drake Powell, Cedevita and France center Joan Beringer, Ratiopharm Ulm and Israel combo Ben Saraf and Alabama freshman guard Labaron Philon.

The Nets own 31 draft picks — 15 first-rounders, 16 second-rounders — over the next seven years. Brooklyn could use their assets to move around the draft. The team will be using that using that treasure trove, but it remains to be seen exactly how and when. General manager Sean Marks said in April that the Nets would be “opportunistic” in regards to their ongoing rebuild.

“It’s just about being opportunistic as to how we build and when we go all-in again, so to speak, and there could be going all-in with [...] free agents or trades, but it also could be go[ing] all-in with systematically growing some homegrown talent,” Marks said. “And we've done that in the past and grown some guys here, developed some guys here, as well as attracted top tier talent from elsewhere.”

The Nets were 26-56 this season, which was the first year of a full rebuild following Mikal Bridges’ trade to the New York Knicks. That process really started once the big three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden ended. This summer looks pivotal to set up Brooklyn’s future, which will be led by head coach Jordi Fernández.

This article first appeared on Brooklyn Nets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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