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Nets Exercise Options on All Five 2025 First-Round Picks
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- Nets Exercise Options on All Five 2025 First-Round Picks
(Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
The Brooklyn Nets are continuing to invest in their future, officially securing all five members of their historic 2025 NBA Draft class for another season.
Brooklyn announced Thursday that it has exercised the third-year rookie-scale team options on Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traoré, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf. The moves guarantee all five players' salaries for the 2027-28 season, giving the organization additional time to develop the young talent it brought in just over a year ago.
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The decision was widely expected, especially considering the Nets' current rebuilding efforts and financial flexibility. It also gives Brooklyn another year to evaluate its young players without having to make any immediate decisions about their long-term futures.
Brooklyn made NBA history in June 2025 by becoming the first team to select five players in the first round of a single draft. The Nets used the eighth overall pick on Dëmin before adding Traoré at No. 19, Powell at No. 22, Saraf at No. 26, and Wolf at No. 27.
Here is what each player's third-year option is worth for the 2027-28 campaign:
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Egor Dëmin: $7,578,240
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Nolan Traoré: $4,193,040
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Drake Powell: $3,709,320
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Ben Saraf: $3,172,920
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Danny Wolf: $3,081,840
The five options combine for approximately $21.7 million, a relatively manageable investment for a team looking to develop young talent while maintaining flexibility for future roster moves.
Dëmin and Traoré have received the most opportunities at the NBA level so far. Dëmin started 45 of his 52 appearances during his rookie campaign, averaging 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He also established himself as one of the more promising young shooters in the organization, knocking down 38.5% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
The BYU product has continued to earn a starting role this season, although he will now miss time after suffering a right leg bone bruise against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. The Nets announced Thursday that he will be reevaluated in one week.
Traoré also showed encouraging signs as a rookie, averaging 8.9 points and a team-leading 3.8 assists across 56 games. The French guard has already earned additional opportunities this season, including his first start of the 2026-27 campaign.
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Powell, Saraf, and Wolf have each had somewhat different paths during their first year in Brooklyn. Powell appeared in 63 games as a rookie, averaging 6.5 points and 1.8 rebounds while establishing himself as a promising defensive presence. Saraf averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 assists in 44 appearances, while Wolf contributed 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists across 57 games.
All three have spent time developing with the Long Island Nets as they continue adjusting to the NBA level.
There is still plenty to prove for this group, and none of the five players earned a spot on an All-Rookie team following their first professional season. However, Brooklyn appears comfortable giving its young players time to develop rather than making any early judgments about what they can become.
The Nets will face another important decision next year, when they must determine whether to exercise the players' fourth-year options for the 2028-29 season. That deadline falls on November 1, 2027.
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Brooklyn still has a lot to learn about what it has in this draft class, but there is no reason to rush those evaluations. The Nets have secured all five players for another season and will have plenty of time to see which ones can become important pieces of their long-term plans.
