Inside The Nets

Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks ‘Excited’ About Team’s Future

The Nets' chief decision maker broke down this season and what comes next.

Wilko Martinez Cachero

Feb 5, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks on the court during warmups prior to the game against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Feb 5, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks on the court during warmups prior to the game against the Toronto Raptors at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks discussed his excitement about the franchise’s future while reflecting on the 2024-25 season. He spoke with the YES Network ahead of the Nets’ final game of the season against the New York Knicks.

“I think when you look back at the prior 81 games that we've gone through, you've got to take away a lot of positives and so forth from just how these guys have competed the whole year, and I think that falls on Jordi,” Marks said, crediting Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernández for setting the tone.

This was Fernández’s first season as an NBA head coach. The 42-year-old finished his ‘rookie’ year with a 26-56 record, winning praise around the league for his performances with a revolving door-esque roster that was initially expected to be the worst team in the league. Fernández was previously an associate head coach with the Sacramento Kings, an assistant with the Denver Nuggets, head coach of the G League's Canton Charge and a player development coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“Jordi and the coaching staff have done a tremendous job of developing that competitive spirit through the whole way and developing habits and and laying down — you know, a foundation — some fundamentals with a lot of these young guys,” Marks said. “It's going to be exciting to see where this goes.”

The Nets’ chief decision maker added that “the players were able to feel” like Fernández “was in the foxhole with them.” Marks called the Brooklyn bench boss one of the organization’s cultural leaders. The Nets are in year one of a rebuild that was accelerated by the trade of Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks. 

The regular season is over — and Brooklyn didn’t make the playoffs — but there are still important dates on the NBA calendar for Nets fans to look forward to. The most important one, in the short term, is the NBA Draft lottery on May 12. Then, the draft takes place on June 25 and 26.

“I'm excited, I know all of basketball operations is excited, Ownership is excited — because this is, as I said before, we're laying down a foundation here of how to build this sustainably into the future, and being part of this journey,” Marks said. “I'd like to look back in three [or] four years and say, ‘I remember when,’ right?” 

The Nets GM appeared to hint at the possibility of rebuilding through the draft, rather than through trades or free agency. That would squash the rumors linking Brooklyn to, for instance, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Right now, the Nets are projected to draft at Nos. 6, 20, 26 and 27.

“You can say, "I remember when they drafted this guy. I've seen the development course of such and such a player,’ and to me, that's exciting to see where these young men are gonna end up in a couple of years from now,” Marks said. “With all the picks that we have and the flexibility we have in the future, it's a great time.”

Marks will hold an end-of-season media availability on Monday morning at the Nets’ training center in Brooklyn. Fernández and some players will also speak.

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Wilko Martinez Cachero
WILKO MARTINEZ CACHERO

Wilko is a journalist and producer from Madrid, Spain. He is also the founder of FLOOR and CEILING on YouTube, focusing on the NBA Draft and youth basketball.

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