Don’t overlook the Nets during this June’s draft

The fact that the Nets don’t own their own first round pick this season has been repeated over and over again, as is the Nets don’t own their own until 2019. However, what is glossed over, is that Brooklyn still has a first-rounder for this June’s draft, and Billy King has shown a strong ability to find talent with low draft slots.

It’s easy to fault basically every move that King has made with the Nets, mostly because of how spectacular some of his failures have been. But since going to New Jersey in July 2010, he has selected/traded/traded-for-with-picks decent NBA contributors in Enes Kanter, MarShon Brooks, Mason Plumlee and even Markel Brown and Cory Jefferson in some high and even very low slots. Granted, some of the guys he has dealt away–Damian Lillard comes to mind–have panned out but with the picks he has had, King has done a solid job of extracting value.

So, not counting any trades that they might make before or on draft day, the Nets currently hold the No. 29 and No. 41 picks. They could of had the No. 15 overall pick, but thanks to the Joe Johnson trade, the Hawks now control that position. Last year, the Nets had zero scheduled picks but instead ended up using cash considerations  to buy three second-rounders that resulted in Brown, Jefferson and San Diego State’s Xavier Thames.

Brooklyn made a similar move back in 2011 by sending cash and a pick to the Timberwolves for Bojan Bogdanovic, who the Nets would later sign to a three-year contract. Bojan made his NBA debut this season and turned into a reliable shooter and even competent defender by the postseason. Clearly, Billy King has experience in turning less-than-desirable draft positioning into productive players that have slid under the radar in one way or another.

But, this season isn’t like those in the past in that the Nets do have a first round selection and a decent second round one as well. According to reports, they’re looking at Utah guard Delon Wright, Syracuse forward Chris McCullough and UNLV’s Rashad Vaughn for the tail end of the first. All three of those guys were highly successful in college and would all provide some much-needed youth and athleticism to an aging Nets team. However, it’s not a given they will still be around when Brooklyn is on the clock.

Even if the Nets don’t end up with one of the higher prospects on their board, they can always look to move back into the draft–or move up from their current picks–with money, players on the roster or future selections (as if their future isn’t mortgaged enough already).

With the everpresent injury bug seeming to hit highly drafted players often in their rookie seasons–ask the 76ers–and the all-too-common draft busts looming, the first round is often a crap shoot, with teams nabbing more value with later picks than earlier ones. The Nets hope they can do that, and all of us know firsthand how much they need it. But, even if they fail on that front, expect King to have another card up his sleeve to put on the table.