The Nets have until the end of Wednesday to decide whether to defer the first-round draft pick they got from Philadelphia.
The sense around the league is that Brooklyn will kick the can down the road and opt to use the pick next year instead of this month — that is, if they use it at all. But they’ll have until 5 p.m. to let the NBA and the 76ers know their decision.
After dealing away their own natural 2022, ’24 and ’26 first-round picks to Houston in the 2021 deal for James Harden, the Nets took a step toward replenishing that bare draft cupboard at this year’s trade deadline, getting back a pair of picks in the Harden trade to the 76ers. The earlier of the two is the one in question.
Brooklyn got the 76ers unprotected first-rounder in the June 23 draft, to be held at Barclays Center. The pick turned out to be the 23rd-overall selection, which would be the highest they’ve made in years.
Technically, the Nets took Saddiq Bey at No. 19 in 2020 and Nickeil Alexander-Walker No. 17 the year before, but both were in reality shipped out on draft-night trades. In actuality, Jarrett Allen — pick No. 22 in 2017 — was the last time the Nets had used a pick this high.
There’s certainly no guarantee they will this year. Since arriving in Brooklyn, GM Sean Marks has usually been active on or in the days leading up to draft night. It wouldn’t be surprising if he stayed true to form.
Brooklyn has worked out over two dozen projected first-rounders according to NetsDaily — including Ohio State’s Malaki Branham, LSU’s Tari Eason, Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens and North Carolina State’s Terquavion Smith, though Smith told ESPN Tuesday that he plans to return to school.
“We’re going through as if we’re trying to find somebody for this roster, for this team that can help us move forward with,” Marks said in May. “So obviously if we find a group…