Nets' GM Sean Marks Embracing Rebuild, Focusing On NBA Draft

Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks made it clear the team is ready to focus toward the future in a rebuild.

Nov 9, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks speaks during a press conference before a game against the New York Knicks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The worst possible spot to be in if you're an NBA team is mediocrity. A team finishing toward the bottom of the standings is in a better situation than a team right around or outside of the Play-In Tournament because that team has better positioning in the draft.

The Nets were that mediocre team for the past year and a half. After trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2023, Brooklyn was still trying to compete with the remains of return packages, keeping veterans Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges, and Dorian Finney-Smith around.

The Nets ended up giving Bridges to the New York Knicks for a haul of draft picks, but Johnson, Finney-Smith, and Dennis Schroder (acquired in 2024) remained on the team. It was perplexing to see them still rostered at the start of this season when Brooklyn was clearly not a playoff team, as the Nets missed the Play-In last season with a 32-50 record.

It seems like that era is over, and the rebuild is being fully embraced by general manager Sean Marks. According to the New York Post's Brian Lewis, the Nets are setting their sights on the future. Marks is ready to embrace the process and look toward June 2025.

“We’re going to have to be systematic with some of the decisions we make," Marks said. "And they may not always be in line with winning the next game or putting the most talent out there.”

“To be frank, you’ve still got to get a little lucky. We all know that. The hot-button topic has always been the draft. We all know we’ve still got to get lucky. At the end of the day, the Ping-Pong balls are going to drop a certain way.” 

Brooklyn is sitting outside the top five in lottery odds based on record, but they're expected to be inside the top seven if all goes according to plan. With Schroder and Finney-Smith gone, plus Johnson expected to be traded soon, the Nets could end up with the top pick in the draft given this direction with a little luck.

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