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Brian Windhorst Says NBA Executives Contacted Him to Make Fun of Nets' Draft Haul

Brooklyn selected five players in the first round of Wednesday night's draft.
Windy has all of the info.
Windy has all of the info. | Screenshot via ESPN.

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After a 32-50 finish to the 2024-25 NBA season and plenty of wheeling and dealing over the last several months, the Brooklyn Nets entered Wednesday night's draft with a whopping five first-round picks. Instead of doing the smart thing—more wheeling and dealing—they opted to simply make all five selections.

The decision had many in the NBA world both confused and, according to insider Brian Windhorst, making fun of the Nets' draft room.

"I've got some people telling me things about Brooklyn," Windy said with a grin on his face, while appearing on ESPN's draft alt-cast with the Numbers on the Board podcast. "People are making fun of these draft picks. I mean, I've got people saying to me—executives and agents—they're like, 'Man, I was watching [the Nets] play three two-way guys during this year so that they could clap for taking guys in the 20s.' He was like, 'These two-way guys might be just as good as the guys that they're taking.'"

Take a look at the full clip here:

In the end, Brooklyn came away with the following players:

  • No. 8: G Egor Demin, BYU
  • No. 19: G Nolan Traoré, France
  • No. 22: G Drake Powell, North Carolina
  • No. 26: G Ben Saraf, Israel
  • No. 20: F Danny Wolf, Michigan

Here's to hoping they can fit all five on the roster...

The second round of the 2025 NBA draft begins on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.


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Published | Modified
 Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.