Three Draft Prospects Brooklyn Nets Could Target in Mid-Lottery

With four wins in their last five tries, the Brooklyn Nets continue to prove they’re better than the NBA’s worst teams, leading to even more questions about why they didn’t offload more talent at the trade deadline last Thursday.

Regardless, it seems the team is destined to land a pick more in the middle territory of the lottery instead of the coveted top picks. While it’s sure to shuffle plenty more as the 2024-25 NBA season wears on, Brooklyn currently has the highest odds at pick No. 7 or 8.

Here are some prospects they could target with a mid-lottery pick, opposed to the top-three they likely covet:

Khaman Maluach, Duke

A five-star Duke freshman making his case alongside Cooper Flagg, the 7-foot Maluach has been unprecedentedly good at finishing in general, boasting 7.8 points on 72% shooting overall.

He’s a raw, projecty center, but has sky-high potential as a two-way center in the modern NBA with both power and finesse around the rim, some shot-blocking chops and even a potential perimeter game.

For a blank slate like Brooklyn needing to add pieces in any capacity, there’s certainly worst selections than a high-floor center pick in Maluach.

Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma

One of the youngest players in the class, Fears is a true freshman, score-first point guard for Oklahoma, who offers an intriguing home run swing for mid-lotto teams.

He’s scored 15.5 points on 45% shooting for the Sooner so far, adding 4.0 assists (albeit to 3.7 turnovers), with 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals, too. He’s shot just 27% from three, more of a testament to his speed, shiftiness and adept rim finishing more than anything.

Fears has had his fair share of bad games so far, and during his lows can look more like a swing than a sure thing. But there’s also flashes of legitimate stardom in his highs, and for a team like Brooklyn, it might be-worth the gamble to take the chance.

Derik Queen, Maryland

If Brooklyn is really looking to mix it up, small-ball center Derik Queen is the pick.

At 6-foot-10, the five-star has an exceptionally unique skillset, averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and over one steal and block apiece while shooting 53% overall. He’s too small to succeed as a true five, but has enough skill overall to create mismatches against slower-footed bigs. All in all, he plays similarly to Alperen Sengun in Houston, able to score down low and play-make with the ball in-hand.

It would be a supremely distinctive selection to kick off a rebuild, but grabbing Queen and building from there could yield nice results.

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