Mikel Brown Jr. Drops Strong Hint He Could Be Nets' Pick at No. 6 in NBA Draft

It appears that Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks and coach Jordi Fernández have done a lot of legwork.

Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) was unfazed after he scored 45 points with 10-for-16 3-point shooting as the Cards roll past NC State 118-77 at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville February 9, 2026. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Amid a report that the Brooklyn Nets have tried to trade up in the NBA Draft, it's becoming more and more apparent that Mikel Brown Jr. is their preferred choice at No. 6 should they keep the pick.

It appears that Nets GM Sean Marks and coach Jordi Fernández have done a lot of legwork.

“It's definitely a relationship built there," Brown said. "Talking with them constantly, with Mr. Marks and Coach Jordi. The biggest thing that he emphasized, man, is if I get selected to go there is building that relationship with Jordi. At the end of the day, you’ve got to have a great connection from point guard to point guard, head coach. He played point guard as well. So to be able to pick his brain on a lot of things and learn his system and to be able to come in and make an impact right away was big.”

The Nets place a heavy premium on positional size, players who can touch the paint and defensive versatility. Brown believes he can fit in nicely into that setup.

"Teams have definitely been telling me that if you gotta go watch the previous teams that have won championships, like the Thunder," Brown said. "They have multiple ball handlers that could touch the paint and create advantages. They told me you can't really have too many ball handlers that can touch the paint like that because it opens up opportunities for everybody else. To be able to come in and be that, and be myself, which is what they emphasized, that's what separates myself from a lot of other guards.

"I know how much work I put in. I know how passionate I am about this game, and I know what I'm capable of. Coming in, whatever is needed of me in the moment, I'm gonna do."

Brown also said he embraces any type of pressure that comes and referred to it as a privilege that people set those expectations on him. He even puts it on himself.

“I'm very calm and down to earth," Brown said. "I'm about this basketball stuff. I keep the main thing. The main thing is that's the focus is to try to win a championship.

“Big city. It's the big city. It's the big city, bright lights. A lot of a lot of big time names come out of Brooklyn. So to be able to represent that means a lot.”