Why the Brooklyn Nets Should've Traded Up to Draft Dylan Harper in 2025

The Brooklyn Nets used all five of their picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, which is an NBA record.

The first of those selections was made at the No. 8 spot, which turned into Egor Dëmin. The rest of the picks they made went to players at the guard position.

Dëmin showed considerable signs of potential in his first season in the league, quickly quelling any concerns some may have had about his jumper. He's also proven capable of making the right reads and handling point guard duties, though he could still be more aggressive in attacking the basket.

Though the San Antonio Spurs seemed intent on keeping the No. 2 pick, which landed them Dylan Harper, one could think that the Nets' boatload of first round picks could've swayed the Spurs into trading down from that spot for the rights to draft Harper.

The No. 8 pick would've almost certainly gone San Antonio's way, in addition to at least one other first round pick in the same draft. The Nets could've also dangled first round picks in future drafts to bring in Harper.

Trading away multiple first round picks for a top two draft pick is always risky, but with how well Harper has performed in his first postseason run, hindsight tells us it would've been well worth it for the Nets to push some of their more valuable chips to the table to draft the Rutgers product.

Just a couple of months after turning 20, Harper has already taken on a sizable role in the Spurs' offense. He's also shown an adeptness at lighting it up from 3-point range and creating his shot off the dribble at all three levels.

Defensively, Harper has been a menace, using his size and length to get under the skin of opposing players and blow up passing lanes.

Harper has deferred to De'Aaron Fox as the lead playmaker, but Harper has proven he has the playmaking chops to be the main orchestrator of an offense.

The beauty of everything is that Harper has been showcasing his elite potential against some of the best teams in the league, including the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

While the Nets could still strike gold at the guard position in this upcoming draft, it's hard not to wonder how well Harper could've thrived in a role where he had more opportunities to operate with the ball in his hands.

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