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The Nets avoided Tuesday’s lottery when they beat the Pacers in the season’s next-to-last game, making the playoffs for the first time in four years. So while other fans may be having anxiety attacks waiting for the Draft order to be revealed at 8:30 p.m., Nets fans should sit back, grab some popcorn and watch ESPN in comfort and in peace.
But looking beyond Tuesday’s celebration of the ping pong ball, what’s the Nets draft picture look like? Pretty, pretty good.
Basically, the Nets have exited the Billy King era. Their first rounder will be the first they’ve controlled since Draft Night 2013 ... ironically (or not) the night they sealed the Celtics trade. At No. 17, it’s also the highest Nets pick in nine years, since the 2010 Draft when they took Derrick Favors at No. 3.
In terms of first rounders, they have six in the next five years (and the top pick in the second round this year.) They also have, protections pending, eight seconds over that same stretch. Of those eight, six have come in trades engineered by Sean Marks since taking over in 2016.
Here’s the year-by-year over the next five, with an explanation of how the Nets acquired each of them...
2019
—Their own first rounder
—The Nuggets first rounder (acquired in the Kenneth Faried salary dump in July 2018)
—The Knicks’ second —and the first pick in the second round (acquired in the Trevor Booker for Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas trade in 2017)
2020
—Their own first rounder
—The Nuggets second rounder (also acquired in the Faried salary dump)
—The Blazers second rounder, which is protected 31-55 (acquired in the Jeremy Lin salary dump in July 2018)
2021
—Their own first rounder
—The Suns second rounder, which is protected 31-35 (acquired in the Darrell Arthur for Jared Dudley trade in July 2018)
—The Raptors second rounder (acquired in the Greg Monroe salary dump in February 2019)
2022
—Their own first rounder
—Their own second rounder
2023
—Their own first rounder
—Their own second rounder (which can be swapped with the Hawks if the Nets pick is higher, part of the Lin trade)
—The Pacers second rounder, unprotected in 2023 but protected 45-60 in every previous year (acquired in the Thaddeus Young for Caris LeVert’s rights in June 2016)
Beyond 2023, the Nets control all their firsts from 2024 on, but must give up their 2025 second round pick to the Hawks, the last payment of the Lin trade.
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The Nets also control the draft rights to Charlotte’s 2015 second rounder, Juan Vaulet of Argentina acquired in a Draft Night trade that year; Boston’s 2017 second rounder, Aleksandr Vezenkov of Bulgaria and Cyprus, acquired in the 2013 Boston trade; and Atlanta’s 2016 second rounder, Isaia Cordinier, acquired in the Lin trade.
Remember, stock up on popcorn.