NBA Execs, Agents Clowned Nets' 2025 Draft Picks in Texts to Brian Windhorst

The Brooklyn Nets made history with five first-round selections in the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday night, but not everyone is convinced that it will work out for them in the long run.

During the alternate broadcast of the NBA draft, ESPN's Brian Windhorst revealed that he received lackluster reviews about the Nets' draft strategy because it's unclear if they actually improved their roster.

"I got some people telling me some things about Brooklyn, people are making fun of these draft picks," Windhorst said. "I got people saying to me, executives and agents, they're like, 'I was watching them play three two-way guys during this year so that they can clap for taking the guys they've chosen.' He's like, 'These two-way guys might be just as good as the guys they've taken.'"

The Nets entered Wednesday night's first round with pick Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26 and 27. Many expected that Brooklyn would package some of those picks in a potential trade to acquire more assets or add more talent to the roster, but general manager Sean Marks instead chose to use all of them.

The Nets selected BYU point guard Egor Demin, French point guard Nolan Traore, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Israeli point guard Ben Saraf and Michigan big man Danny Wolf. Four out of the five picks are guards, three of whom play the same position. Brooklyn will also have the No. 36 pick in Thursday night's second round.

The Eastern Conference is expected to be wide open next season after contending teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers all incurred major injuries during the playoffs this year. However, the Nets using all five picks signifies that they're on the verge of another year of rebuilding rather than moving toward playoff contention.

Despite the criticisms from around the league, Marks sounded confident that Brooklyn made the right decisions in the first round of the draft on Wednesday.

"I'm thrilled with the group we got tonight," Marks said of using all five of the picks, per ESPN's Chris Herring. "We've got some guys who play the right way, move the ball the right way and have some untapped skills there."