Predicting the Nets’ Summer League Starting Five After the NBA Draft

The 2025 NBA Draft is in the books, as the Brooklyn Nets became the first team in NBA history to draft five players in the first round. 

General manager Sean Marks’ total haul ended up featuring BYU freshman Egor Demin at No. 8, French point guard Nolan Traoré at No. 19, North Carolina swingman Drake Powell at No. 22, Ulm combo guard Ben Saraf at No. 26 and Michigan frontcourt playmaker Danny Wolf at No. 27. 

"It's 0.5-second basketball,” Marks said in comments picked up by ClutchPoints’ Erik Slater. “You catch and make a decision. You don't hold the ball [...] It's also where the NBA is going: guys who can play multiple positions, guard multiple positions and make it hard on the defense.”

The Nets traded out of the second night of the draft, originally being slated to select at No. 36. Instead, Brooklyn traded that pick to the Phoenix Suns for two future seconds. The Suns then traded with the Minnesota Timberwolves to pick St. Joe’s Rasheer Fleming at No. 31. The Los Angeles Lakers subsequently acquired No. 36 from the Timberwolves and drafted Arkansas wing Adou Thiero.

The Nets signed Grant Nelson to a training camp deal after the draft, per senior NBA insider Michael Scotto. The Alabama prospect averaged 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 52.2/25.8/66.7 shooting splits. Nelson, 23, was at North Dakota State for three seasons before transferring to the Crimson Tide. Brooklyn also signed TJ Bamba for Summer League, per DraftExpress director of scouting John Chepkevich. The Bronx native averaged 10.5 points for Oregon this season after previous stops at Villanova and Washington State.

Marks said about the Nets’ draft: "High-character competitive individuals who play the right brand of basketball, and I'm thrilled with the group we got [...] We've got some young guys who play the right way, move the ball the right way and have some untapped skills there."

The Las Vegas Summer League will run from July 10-20 this year. Prior to that, the California Classic and the Salt Lake City Summer League will take place from July 5-8. The Nets’ new players are expected to suit up in Vegas. It remains to be seen whether Ben Saraf plays, given that he wrapped up the German league finals with his current club Ratiopharm Ulm on Thursday.

The Nets’ Summer League starting lineup could look something like this: 

• PG: Egor Demin
• SG: Nolan Traoré
• SF: Drake Powell
• PF: Danny Wolf
• C: Grant Nelson