Brooklyn Nets Sign 2025 First-Round Pick Drake Powell to Rookie Deal

Yesterday, the Brooklyn Nets announced the official signing of another member of their 2025 draft class. Due to the pick that was used to draft UNC product Drake Powell being involved in a trade, the process took slightly longer.

Powell was added with the 22nd-overall pick, one that Brooklyn acquired—in addition to Terance Mann—in the transaction that landed Kristaps Porzingis with the Atlanta Hawks. Once that trade went through, Powell was allowed to put pen to paper.

In cooperation with team policy, the terms of Powell's first NBA contract were not released.

The 19-year-old was the last member of the Nets' five-player pool to sign. Egor Demin, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf signed on July 3, while Nolan Traore followed suit a day later. Like Powell, Traore's process was delayed as well due to his buyout from Saint-Quentin Basketball of France’s LNB.

Despite now officially becoming a Net, Powell will not participate in the NBA2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas alongside Demin, Saraf, Wolf and Traore due to knee tendinitis.

While Brooklyn won't reveal the official breakdown of Powell's first contract, Spotrac provides an example of what a deal for a player drafted 22nd overall may look like. The framework can be found here.

After shooting over 37% from beyond the arc while displaying elite defensive traits, the former McDonald's All-American appears to be a seamless fit in head coach Jordi Fernandez's system. Standing at 6-foot-6, 195 lbs., Powell could quickly emerge as a favorite of Fernandez just as Ziaire Williams did last season.

Powell's absence from the summer league roster will force fans to wait until preseason to see how his game translates to the professional level, but the tendinitis shouldn't impact his offseason development plan.

Brooklyn dealt with multiple injuries last summer, most notably with backup big man Day'Ron Sharpe, yet Sharpe managed to put together one of the best seasons of his career in terms of production despite a nagging hamstring issue.

The Nets' training staff is smart, and it will certainly find ways to get Powell up to speed despite the limitations that his injury may bring.