The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of their latest rebuild after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for as many as five first-round picks and three players. As a result of the Bridges trade, the Nets were able to substantially increase its draft stock, something that is important for a franchise that is hoping to build through the Draft and find its next superstar that way instead of getting that caliber of player another way.

The Nets are currently slated to have as many as four first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft (assuming that the Milwaukee Bucks top-4 protected pick conveys) and with that draft class expected to be a lot more star-studded than the 2024 edition, Brooklyn is in a great position to get a star in the building. With players like Duke forward Cooper Flagg and Rutgers guard Dylan Harper expected to be the cream of the crop, Brooklyn’s fanbase is understandably salivating over the possibility of one of those players being drafted by the Nets.

At the end of the day, the Nets are hoping that whoever they draft next season will be impactful for a team looking for a fresh start and a lot of talent at the same time. Without further ado, here are five players that the Nets could draft in 2025:

Duke PF Cooper Flagg

Flagg is arguably the best player in next year’s class due to his combination of size, athleticism, and ability to play different roles as a player in the frontcourt. He will most likely be a one-and-done at Duke and if that happens, Brooklyn will most likely need to land the first overall pick in the draft if they want to be able to select Flagg. Basketball fans are understandably more excited about Flagg after his performance as a member of the United State Select Team that was helping the Senior Team get ready for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Rutgers G Dylan Harper

Rutgers freshman Dylan Harper is potentially a “consolation” prize if the Nets are unable to draft the aforementioned Flagg. Harper has all the makings of a lead guard in the NBA as he has great positional size (6’6″, 210 LBs) and appears to be a guy that can hurt the damage with the dribble and with his shooting. His performance at Rutgers should give NBA fans a better picture of what can be expected from him in the NBA, but as of right now, he seems to be first overall pick material in his own right.

Baylor SG VJ Edgecombe

Edgecombe profiles as a player that can significantly impact the game with his athleticism as he showed during his time with the Bahamian National Team during the qualifying period. As a player that will most likely be an off-guard, Edgecombe has some aspects of his game that could lend itself to him being able to be a lead guard in the NBA and make an impact that way as well.

Mexico City Capitanes (G League) G Dink Pate

Pate did not have the most inspiring performance during his time last season with the G League Ignite, but he did show some signs of him being a guard that can manipulate the game on both ends of the floor due to his physical profile and size. If Pate can improve his shooting even just a little bit, he could be a steal towards the end of the first round where three of Brooklyn’s first-round picks will most likely come from.

Evans Jr. profiles as a big who can defend with the best of them and looks like he could eventually be able to stretch the floor from the three-point line if last season is any indication. As well as Brooklyn has done to develop big men like Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe as recent examples, Evans could be someone for the Nets to develop that could play alongside a center, similar to what the team will be asking of Noah Clowney right now.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 5 players that the Nets could select in the 2025 NBA Draft