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New York Post
13-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
The important off-the-court impact Nets expect Michael Porter Jr. to provide
LAS VEGAS — The biggest move of Brooklyn's summer brought back the only championship winner on the roster. Michael Porter Jr. is the only player with a ring, the one who has been where the Nets are trying to get. And coach Jordi Fernández — who was with Porter in Denver for the first four years of the forward's career — hopes some of that can rub off on his young team. Advertisement 'He's excited to be here. I'm excited to reunite with him,' Fernández said. 'We have history together. I loved my time with Michael. And I know he's going to bring a lot. His work ethic is very good. He's a pro, works really hard, so that's going to be good for the young guys to see a guy like him that won a championship, and why.' Porter bounced back from a back injury in 2021-22 by winning the title with Denver the following season. The Nets traded Cam Johnson for Porter and the Nuggets' unprotected 2032 first-round pick. That selection — when Nikola Jokic will be 37 — will be one of the most valuable in Brooklyn's cache of future assets. It's why Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, SB Nation and Clutch Points all graded the Nets an 'A' for the deal. The Nets acquired Michael Porter Jr. this offseason. AP Advertisement But what exactly will they be getting in Porter in the meantime? Can he be more than just a salary dump? On paper, the 6-foot-10 forward is similar to Johnson, but the similarity ends once it leaves the page. Porter is younger, having turned 27 on June 29. Despite back woes early in his career, Porter is actually healthier, having missed six games the past two seasons compared to Johnson's 43. And he's pricier, the two years and $79.1 million on his deal the reason the Nets were able to get such a valuable pick. Advertisement And he's also going to have to show he can be effective without Jokic. 'He's going to be asked to do things that he's never done before, right? Probably his usage and the shots he's going to take,' admitted Fernández. 'And that's exciting. It should be exciting for him. He's going to work for it. I know the type of person he is. And I was very happy to see him face-to-face [Saturday].' For perspective, Porter averaged 17.4 points in 220 games over the past three years on solid .492/.404/.795 splits. But without Joker? Those numbers dipped, averaging just 15.9 points in 22 games on .440/.268/.707 splits. Michael Porter Jr. is the only player on the Nets roster who has won a championship. NBAE via Getty Images Advertisement Can he be efficient outside of Jokic's orbit? And can he lead a rookie-laden team? 'I don't want him to be out of character. I just want him to be himself,' Fernández said. 'And that's why I'm very comfortable, because I've seen him get where he got, his career year and how he scores the ball and the work he puts in every day. Follow all the basketball buzz in Brooklyn Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters 'The only thing we need to do is get him adjusted to his new teammates, the little things that make your life better: finding a place to live, get comfortable. But I know who he is and how good he is going to be. And I want him to lead being Michael Porter. He doesn't need to be anybody else. Once again, I think he'll be very, very good for the group.' Porter is the second-oldest Net behind only Terance Mann, 29. Will he start at power forward while Mann, Egor Demin and Ziaire Williams vie for wing minutes? Or is Porter a small forward alongside stretch four Noah Clowney? 'I don't think it really matters. What matters is who he guards,' Fernández said. 'That's the positionless for us — 1 through 4, it's pretty much the same. 'But Michael is an amazing catch-and-shoot player. He can iso, he can shoot over people, he can rebound the ball. So all those things are very good for what we're building. And he'll help us. And we know our efficiency is gonna go up with him.'
New York Post
12-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Drew Timme expected to lead pack of Nets rookies throughout summer league
LAS VEGAS — With all Brooklyn eyes on the record crop of Nets rookies, it was second-year pro Drew Timme who stole their thunder in the summer league opener. 'Yeah, we told him we need him to be a rock. Him and Tosan [Evbuomwan] need to be our steady forces. They need to be the ones who settle everything if it's getting hectic,' assistant coach Steve Hetzel said after Timme was the leading scorer in the 90-81 summer league loss to Oklahoma City. 'We've sent a message to Drew to come out here and try to be the best player, try to show the rest of the league how good he is. We really like Drew. … He has some real, real skill. We think very highly of him. And so this is kind of what we expect out of him.' Advertisement 3 Drew Timme #26 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 10, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NBAE via Getty Images Timme scored a team-high 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting versus OKC, with nine rebounds and a block in 29:30. He had a dozen points on 6-of-8 shooting in the fourth quarter. 'Yeah, he's got skill, like you saw. He's great,' Nolan Traore said. 'So being able to play with a smart guy like that who can play the low post is really helpful for the team, so it's good.' Advertisement With four of their five first-round picks playing in summer league, the Nets will challenge Timme to show leadership in Las Vegas. 3 Drew Timme #26 of the Brooklyn Nets drives to the basket during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 10, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NBAE via Getty Images 'Of course. As with anyone that's a little bit older, you just learn the ropes quickly and just try to learn bits and pieces from them. He's just an easygoing guy and kind of always there for advice,' said Danny Wolf, who started at power forward alongside Timme. 'He's an awesome guy, he had a great game tonight. Just a fun guy to be around. He's awesome.' Timme is on a non-guaranteed contract, vying to get Brooklyn's lone open two-way spot. Advertisement 'Well, we have a lot of roster players, so I'd say that the starting lineup is yet to be determined,' Hetzel said. 'But he's got to try to make the team, and then we'll go from there.' 3 Grant Nelson #16 and Drew Timme #26 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2025 NBA Summer League game on July 10, 2025 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NBAE via Getty Images Brooklyn's Spanish head coach Jordi Fernández invited Valencia head coach Pedro Martínez and Spanish hoops star Anna Cruz to be guest assistants as the Nets prepared for summer league. Cruz, who played for the Liberty and is from Fernández's hometown of Badalona, continued as a guest in Las Vegas. Advertisement Follow all the basketball buzz in Brooklyn Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters 'Oh, we love having [Martínez] around. We sat down with Coach Pedro so he could teach us some of his offensive rebounding rules. They've led the league for many years; stole a couple ideas from him,' Hetzel said. 'And Anna's been super helpful on the court. She's wonderful. She has such an established career. It's nice to have her around.' Dariq Whitehead commented to The Post about the addition of Michael Porter Jr.: 'It's a great addition for us. An older vet, a champ, we know what he can do. So to get to play with him and learn, it'll be a good opportunity for all of us.'
New York Post
27-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Egor Demin knew moment his Nets draft fate was sealed
The Nets' selection of BYU star Egor Demin shocked most draft observers Wednesday night. But the Russian point guard's camp knew the instant Kon Knueppel came off the board that Demin had a great chance to land in Brooklyn. Advertisement And the Nets let them know before the rest of Barclays Center got the shock. 'A few dominoes fell,' former BYU star Travis Hansen told KSL Sports on Thursday. 'We knew we were right there with Kon Knueppel and Egor. Brooklyn really liked both of them, so once Kon went four, we knew we had a real chance to go to Brooklyn. 'At some point, we got a text from Brooklyn that said 'He's ours!' And we all got chills. Egor went straight Russian mode because he had no expression on his face, [but] I did. … I couldn't keep it in. I was so excited for him that [it] was Brooklyn. It's one of the top three places we wanted to go.' Advertisement 3 Egor Demin celebrates after being selected eighth by the Nets. AP It's obvious why Demin would want to go to Brooklyn. The rebuilding Nets are able to offer development, immediate playing time and a huge Russian community. 'It's a great opportunity to be in a team where I'll be able to develop myself and also impact the game any way I can and just learn a lot,' Demin said. 'That's a historical club, historical organization. Obviously, it's a lot related to Russia in the past, a lot of Russian players were going through this organization. For me, it's an honor to be a part of the Nets. 'It reminds me a little bit of Moscow, of my hometown, just in how active it is. All the town is alive, so many people, cars, all that. There's just something I like. This town, it never stops. This is something I like about this place. It's really alive. Obviously, a lot of Russian restaurants that I'm happy to visit. That's the first thing I'm going to do, probably.' Advertisement 3 NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with the No. 8 pick of the Nets' Egor Demin during the NBA Draft JASON SZENES/NY POST Well, the first thing he did was actually get a workout in at HSS Training Center on Thursday. Demin had worked out for the Nets three times in the predraft process, which is an inordinate amount. But he clearly made an impression. It wasn't only the Nets who were impressed with him. Thunder GM Sam Presti actually had Demin over to his house, and was reportedly considering trading up from No. 15 to draft him. Advertisement 3 Alabama forward Grant Nelson drives on Brigham Young guard Egor Demin (3) during the second half of a Sweet 16. AP Follow all the basketball buzz in Brooklyn Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Demin also impressed Atlanta with his basketball IQ. But in the end he landed with the Nets, who were working the phones for trades. 'Brooklyn's in that young development mode. It's exactly where we want him to be,' Hansen said. 'They're going to be patient with him and they're going to push him and he's going to have an opportunity to shine. So I don't know if there could've been a better fit. We definitely liked OKC, but Brooklyn's perfect for him.' Israel's official X account congratulated Israel's Ben Saraf and Israeli-American Danny Wolf for being drafted 26th and 27th, respectively, by the Nets. Advertisement Brooklyn signed Alabama's Grant Nelson to a two-way contract Thursday night after the forward went undrafted, The Post confirmed.
New York Post
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Nets land another first-round pick for taking on Terance Mann contract in three-team blockbuster
The Nets taking on salary dumps for draft assets was the league's worst-kept secret. And Brooklyn got to work Tuesday, opportunistically landing a first-round pick for taking on Terance Mann. In a three-team trade, the Nets received Atlanta's 22nd overall pick in return for taking on Mann, a 28-year-old wing who was born in Brooklyn. Terance Mann celebrates during the Hawks' overtime loss to the Heat during the 2025 SoFi Play-In Tournament on April 18, 2025 in Atlanta. NBAE via Getty Images Boston received Georges Niang and a second-round pick, but offloaded Kristaps Porzingis and a second-rounder to the Hawks. 'I was born in Brooklyn hospital,' Mann posted on X. 'This is crazyyyy.' The deal was first reported by ESPN and confirmed by The Post. It can't be finalized until July 6 because the Nets will acquire Mann with cap space, but it gives the Nets five first-rounders and helps in a quest for a second lottery pick. Mann — who averaged 9.8 points this past for Atlanta on .541 shooting and .386 from behind the arc — still has three years and $47 million left on his contract. For taking that on, the Nets will get a pick even better than the 28th selection that the Celtics could have offered for taking Porzingis. It's precisely the sort of opportunistic move that Nets general manager Sean Marks has been looking to make. Now leading the league in both first-round picks (one sixth of Wednesday's entire draft) and cap space (still roughly $35 million), the Nets are positioned to control the offseason. Follow all the basketball buzz in Brooklyn Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters The Nets have the eighth, 19th, 22nd, 26th, 27th and 36th picks, and can move up by packaging picks and/or taking more salary dumps. 'What does that get you? Does that get you into the teens again? Or can you pick up a future down the road that you can use, similar to the OKC model? I do think when you have cap space, it certainly helps as far as maneuverability,' ESPN Insider Bobby Marks told The Post. 'Yeah, Brooklyn has the bingo board, right? Then all the future picks they have from New York, and there's still some good stuff left in the [Kevin] Durant trade, there's a Philly pick in there. … They have optionality. It's just a matter of how much can you move up? They're at [No.] 8 now. There's three different tiers in the top 8 or 9. Certainly Cooper [Flagg] and Dylan [Harper], and then there's five or six players in that Tier 3. It's a matter of what you like. 'Brooklyn controls the offseason. Just because of the sheer volume of draft picks going into Wednesday. And they're one of the few teams that have the salary cap space to sign free agents or take back contracts.' Terance Mann reacts to a play in the Hawks' overtime loss to the Heat in an NBA play-in tournament game against the Heat on April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. AP While the possibility of Ace Bailey falling to the Nets is fascinating, likelier targets include Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears, Duke center Khaman Maluach and forward Noa Essengue from Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany. Texas scoring guard Tre Johnson or Illinois point guard Kasparas Jakucionis could be options. Brooklyn is believed to be looking to package lower picks to get a second lottery selection. Tuesday's trade only makes that easier.
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
A single ping pong ball separated the Nets from Cooper Flagg, so now what?
Monday night's NBA Draft Lottery results — the Nets' season-long tank resulting in just the No. 8 overall pick — was like a punch in the gut to the team's fans. It's a blow they probably should have seen coming. But that doesn't mean it will hurt any less or they'll get over it any quicker. After Nets general manager Sean Marks and team governor Joe Tsai made the difficult decision to rebuild — trading away Mikal Bridges and reacquiring their own natural 2025 and 2026 first-round picks at great cost — they suffered through a tough 26-56 season to earn the sixth-best odds to win the lottery. Follow all the basketball buzz in Brooklyn Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters The odds didn't pay off. The Nets' fall to eighth not only ended any shot at Cooper Flagg, but the lottery results hurt any trade offer they could make for Giannis Antetokounmpo while simultaneously helping any potential Spurs package.
