Brooklyn Nets Future First Round Pick Ranked Among the Most Valuable in the NBA

The Brooklyn Nets’ draft future looks bright and stacked.

May 15, 2018; Chicago, IL, USA; The podium with logos is seen prior to the 2018 NBA Draft Lottery at the Palmer House Hilton. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images / Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets have one of the most valuable traded future first round draft picks in the NBA, per CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn.

In power ranking 68 upcoming traded picks, Quinn uses the following criteria: pick protections, point of origin (if the pick is coming from a good/bad team, and when it's coming), the year of the future pick and whether teams own their draft selection or if it’ll be achieved through a pick swap.

The Nets’ picks are ranked as follows:

59. Houston Rockets, 2029: Brooklyn gets the least favorable 2026 first-round pick from either the Rockets, Dallas Mavericks or Phoenix Suns.

54. Phoenix Suns, 2025: This was a complex trade, whose results also involved the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nets will swap either their own or the Thunder’s first rounder in exchange for Phoenix’s first rounder. Tankathon projects, as of now, that this will be 28th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Bleacher Report has Brooklyn drafting 18-year-old Israeli point guard Ben Saraf with this selection.

51. New York Knicks, 2025: This Mikal Bridges-related pick will not be very strong if the Knicks continue their recent trajectory of success. Tankathon projects, as of now, that this will be 25th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Bleacher Report has Brooklyn drafting UNC freshman Ian Jackson with this selection.

48. Milwaukee Bucks, 2025: This pick will go to the Nets if it falls between no. 5 and no. 30. Otherwise, it'll be conveyed to the New Orleans Pelicans. This pick is currently projected to be no. 2024 in the 2025 NBA Draft, per Tankathon. Bleacher Report has Brooklyn drafting Arizona freshman Carter Bryant with this selection.

45. New York Knicks, 2028: Another Knicks pick, but this one is further down the timeline, which elevates the chances of an aging team giving the Nets better pick value.

40. Philadelphia 76ers, 2027: The Sixers have a no. 1 to no. 8 protection on this 2027 first-rounder; otherwise, it will carry over into a second-round pick in 2028. Similar to the previous Knicks 2028 pick, the value of this pick depends on how Philadelphia’s stars, namely Paul George and Joel Embiid, grow older.

36. New York Knicks, 2027: Another pick related to the Bridges trade.

26. Dallas Mavericks, 2029: This future first-round pick can go to either the Nets or the Rockets. It was part of the trade made earlier this summer to return Brooklyn’s 2025 and 2026 first-round picks. The Nets then retain the least favorable of the Mavs, Rockets and Suns’ first-round draft picks in 2029.

20. New York Knicks, 2029: One more Knicks-related future first-rounder for the Nets. CBS Sports believes that “this is roughly the point in New York's expected trajectory in which things could start to go south due to age, injuries, money and a lack of leftover trade assets.”

16. New York Knicks, 2031: The previous Knicks’ picks roll on. This one, all the way in 2031, is ranked highly largely because of how old the Knicks’ stars — particularly Jalen Brunson — will be.

10. Phoenix Suns, 2028: CBS Sports is not feeling optimistic about Phoenix’s future. Quinn points to how Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are both aging and have battled recent injury issues, how Beal has a no-trade clause, and how the roster lacks young players with real upside. The Nets are well-positioned to get a valuable first-rounder here.

2. Phoenix Suns, 2029: Similar reasons to the above, except one year further down the line. Per CBS Sports, the Nets have one of the two most coveted traded first rounders in the entire NBA.

The Nets have a bright and absolutely stacked draft future, starting this upcoming season. General manager Sean Marks and head coach Jordi Fernández will have the tools to execute a complete rebuild that will hopefully eventually result in a franchise player and postseason opportunities.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.