Brooklyn Nets Tabbed as High Unlikely to Draft Rutgers Star

The Brooklyn Nets are still dealing with the uncertainty of what they will do with their No. 8 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft.

While they have done their due diligence with this year's NBA Draft class, it seems one player and plan that fans can rule out of their future, according to New York Post's Brian Lewis, is a potential trade for Rutgers star guard Dylan Harper.

Harper is coming off a tremendous freshman campaign for the Scarlet Knights. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. His scoring prowess is just a part of his game, as Harper is a perennial two-way guard who can guard multiple positions, averaging 1.4 steals per game this past season.

It has not been reported that the Nets were planning on attempting to trade up for San Antonio's No. 2 pick in the draft, but there have been some rumors in the NBA media realm that certainly got the New York Post talking.

With a surplus of picks available to #NetsWorld, Brooklyn has the potential to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo and move up to take a premium prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft.@NYPost_Lewis | @BrandonLondonTV

Article ➡️ https://t.co/8DhxJrOM7x pic.twitter.com/pkfqWuLeql
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 27, 2025

Lewis was exclamatory when detailing the possibility of the Nets trading up with the Spurs, saying, "Unlikely. Matter of fact, I might even go highly unlikely...That's from multiple sources. You never say never, but I think that's something that I wouldn't count on seeing happening."

He didn't rule out the potential of the Nets making a trade. "Trading up? Maybe. And I'm sure they'd love to have Dylan Harper, but the odds of him landing here in Brooklyn, not very good." Lewis said.

This certainly is not a huge shocker for Nets and basketball fans who have been watching the NBA Draft process closely, as the San Antonio Spurs have been head over heels for Dylan Harper.

Mar 4, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) dribbles the ball past Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) during the first half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

It was even reported by ESPN's NBA Analyst Jonathan Givony that the Spurs are not even looking to trade out of No. 2, stating, "They are not pursuing trades from what we're hearing. They think that they can play Harper together with Steph Castle and De'Aaron Fox in the same backcourt."

The Nets will continue to search for their next potential piece for their foundation in this year's NBA Draft, come June 25th. While they have been linked to several different players in multiple NBA mock drafts, one player that Nets fans can rule out for certain is Rutgers guard Dylan Harper.