logo
Report: Nets expressing 'particular' interest in BYU G Egor Demin

Report: Nets expressing 'particular' interest in BYU G Egor Demin

USA Today19 hours ago

The Brooklyn Nets have five picks to use in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft that begins on Wednesday at Barclays Center, the home of the Nets. Brooklyn may not use all of their picks to take players in this class, but they are closing in on players they're interested in, including a player with some upside.
"We've heard consistent buzz that he is drawing particular interest from Brooklyn," NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote (h/t Rookie Wire's Cody Taylor) in his article for The Stein Line while explaining why BYU guard Egor Demin seems to be underrated. Demin's college coach, former NBA assistant Kevin Young, had some praise for his former player as Demin looks to take his game to next level, potentially to the Nets.
"Many front offices appear intrigued by the talent that complements Demin's lengthy frame," Fischer continued while relaying what most front offices think of Demin. "It is no stretch to say that he is the highest-rated NBA Draft prospect with Real Madrid in his background since a certain Doncic."
Demin, 19, is one of the more interesting prospects in the draft given the way that he could fit multiple positions because of his size and potential shooting ability. Demin, listed at 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which the Russian averaged 10.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 27.3% from three-point land.
"Egor Demin will earn consideration from late-lottery teams that buy the playmaking and are willing to bet on his shooting development," Jonathan Wasserman wrote of Demin in his latest mock draft for Bleacher Report. Wasserman has being taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 17th overall pick in the draft, two picks before the Nets could potentially take him.
At the moment, it seems that Demin's main appeal to teams is his ability to make plays for himself and others along with his ability to use his size to get to the rim against his defender. Demin's shooting is a work-in-progress, but if he is able to make significant improvements in that department, he could be the kind of steal that Brooklyn is hoping for.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pacers vs. Thunder: Predictions, picks, odds for NBA Finals Game 7
Pacers vs. Thunder: Predictions, picks, odds for NBA Finals Game 7

USA Today

time32 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Pacers vs. Thunder: Predictions, picks, odds for NBA Finals Game 7

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers have battled through the first six games of the NBA Finals, sending the series to a seventh and final game. NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 30.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 37.8 minutes per game in the series against the Pacers. It will be up to Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams to lead the franchise to its second NBA championship and first since moving to Oklahoma City. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game in the series. Haliburton is expected to play in Game 7 despite a right calf strain suffered in Game 5. The injury did not appear to hinder his ability in Game 6. Pascal Siakam will be another player to watch as the Pacers look to secure their first NBA championship. He had a double-double in Game 6 with 16 points and 13 rebounds. NBA Finals picks: Thunder vs. Pacers predictions All of the NBA experts at USA TODAY Sports made their predictions for Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals: The Thunder have a 59.3% chance of winning, according to ESPN Analytics' matchup predictor. The site writes: "After extensive simulations, our model gives the Pacers a win probability of 28%, while the Thunder have a win probability of 72%." Thunder vs. Pacers NBA Finals Game 7 odds The Oklahoma City Thunder are favorites to win Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers, according to BetMGM (odds as of 12:25 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 21): Watch the NBA Finals with Fubo NBA Finals 2025: Full schedule, times, TV channel, live streaming

NBA Trade Rumors Roundup: More Kevin Durant trade rumors, including Jrue Holiday involved in deal
NBA Trade Rumors Roundup: More Kevin Durant trade rumors, including Jrue Holiday involved in deal

NBC Sports

time36 minutes ago

  • NBC Sports

NBA Trade Rumors Roundup: More Kevin Durant trade rumors, including Jrue Holiday involved in deal

While other NBA trade rumors are out there, the Kevin Durant trade talks cast a shadow over everything. It is the first domino to fall, just don't expect any action until at least Monday (nobody is going to step on Game 7 of the NBA Finals and risk the wrath of the league). Still, let's start there with this roundup of rumors. Jrue Holiday part of multi-team Durant trade? Kevin Durant is the biggest name on the trade market right now. Jrue Holiday might be second, but the Celtics need to trim their salary, and there are numerous reports suggesting that Holiday could be the player on the move. Could Durant and Holiday be part of one massive trade, not for each other but as the big salaries in a huge multi-team deal? Here is Zach Lowe from the Zach Lowe Show podcast: 'The focus, for me, is on Jrue Holiday. I think there are even — I've heard there have been at least very broad discussions of three-team Durant-related trades where Jrue Holiday is … moved somewhere.' Holiday ended up in Boston — where he was a key part of their 2024 title run — because he was part of a massive deal, the Damian Lillard trade. Could something like that happen again? Just something to watch, although it's a safe bet Holiday gets traded somewhere this offseason. Durant has controlled his trade market Durant has his list of preferred landing spots — Houston, San Antonio, and Miami — and to this point has done a good job controlling the market with that request. Durant has some leverage because he only has one year remaining on his contract ($54.7 million) and can refuse to sign an extension with a team, essentially making him a rental. ESPN's Brian Windhorst laid it out well on Friday's NBA Today (hat tip Real GM): 'His trade value is depressed because he's limiting his market. He is effectively doing that. He made it very clear he wants to have agency on where he finishes his career. He is, by doing that, depressing the market and forcing himself to a certain spot. That has been very effective so far.' The problem for the Suns is that those other teams know this. The Spurs are largely out of the running because they are not coming near the Suns' asking price and are not upping their offer (reportedly based around Devin Vassell). As previously discussed here, the Rockets are patiently waiting for the market to come down on Durant and the Suns to take their Jabari Smith Jr.-based offer. And as for Miami... Heat won't put Ware in Durant trade One sticking point in the Durant to Miami trade idea is that the Heat will not include 21-year-old center Kel'el Ware in the trade, report Marc Stein and Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. Without Ware — and with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo understandably unavailable as well — the Suns will require multiple first-round picks to make this deal work, as they won't be thrilled with the players they are getting back. So far, these sides appear to be quite far apart on a deal, but talks are ongoing. Suns want 2025 first-round pick One of the things the Suns are seeking in return for a Kevin Durant trade is a high first-round pick, reports Mark Stein. That could include Toronto at No. 9 (more on them below), Houston at No. 10, San Antonio at No. 14 (although they seem unlikely to be a contender), Minnesota at No. 17, and Miami at No. 20. Whether any of those teams would include that pick remains a question mark. Jakob Poeltl not available in Durant trade The Toronto Raptors are on the outside looking in at this point in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, but they remain interested and are still lurking around. It's not one of the teams on Durant's list of places he would sign an extension, but Toronto has been here and done that before, trading for Kawhi Leonard in 2018. What would a Raptors trade for KD look like? It would not involve center Jakob Poeltl, reports Michael Grange of Sportsnet in Canada. Grange notes the Suns asked about Poeltl at the trade deadline and were shot down then. He also explains the entire situation well, including the Suns using the Raptors as leverage. "[The Suns] are looking to recoup value after trading two quality starters, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, along with four unprotected first-round picks, for just over two seasons of Durant that yielded a second-round playoff exit, a first-round playoff exit, and no Play-In appearance this past season. If the Raptors are presented as having a strong offer waiting in the wings, perhaps one of Durant's preferred suitors steps up with something richer, or a team like Minnesota — another team with interest that's outside Durant's list — sweetens the pot.' The Raptors know they are being used for leverage and don't want to play that game. Toronto, like everyone else, is looking at the East next season and seeing something relatively wide open — Indiana does not strike fear in the hearts of opponents — and wants to put together a team that has a chance of a deep playoff run. Poeltl will be part of that team. Teams interested in Cody Martin Interesting note: a lot of teams have shown interest in Phoenix's Cody Martin, Marc Stein reports, adding that he may 'very well factor into any direct or multi-team deal' for Kevin Durant. The 6'5" wing averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15 minutes a night off the bench for the Suns last season. Just something to monitor. Wizards want to trade up in draft One rumor flying around is that the Washington Wizards, with picks No. 6 and 18, are looking to package those and maybe a player to move up into the top five in the draft and get a point guard (reporting via Grant Afseth). Ideally that would be Dylan Harper, but the Wizards don't have the juice to pry the No. 2 pick away from the Spurs. That has turned the focus to Jeremiah Fears. The latest NBC Sports Mock Draft has Fears going to Utah at No. 5, and if Ace Bailey slips out of the top four — a real possibility — that makes it more likely that Fears goes higher. Can Washington find a deal to move up one spot and get Utah's No. 5 pick? It's something to watch.

Could the Nets be the preferred destination for Rutgers' Ace Bailey?
Could the Nets be the preferred destination for Rutgers' Ace Bailey?

USA Today

time41 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Could the Nets be the preferred destination for Rutgers' Ace Bailey?

The Brooklyn Nets head into the 2025 NBA Draft with the eighth overall pick and they could be missing out on the cream of the crop in the class. However, Brooklyn may be able to take advantage of the fact that some talented player slides in almost every draft and one such players may be indicating his preferred landing spot. "One league executive believes that Bailey, once a consensus top-three pick, probably will drop in the draft because of his agency's tactics," Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported recently when talking about Rutgers forward Ace Bailey. What makes this news interesting is that Pompey also reported that the Nets are one of the teams that would be interested in trading up for Bailey if he falls. "Bailey remains the only American-based draft prospect to not visit any teams for a workout," Pompey continued. "Another league executive believes that the agency wants Bailey to remain on the East Coast and play somewhere between Atlanta and New York." With the news that Brooklyn is one of the teams that would be interested in Bailey already known, it seems that Bailey trying to remain on the east coast could be something to monitor. Pompey also wrote that "sources say the Washington Wizards (who will select sixth), New Orleans Pelicans (seventh), and Brooklyn Nets (eighth) are interested in moving up to take him." With the assumption that Bailey prefers to play on the east coast, that still means that the Wizards could have the insane track on him, especially since they have the sixth overall pick. Despite all of the reporting on Bailey in the past few days, there isn't any indication on how many teams Bailey would be okay playing for so playing for Washington is on the table. Prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Bailey was perceived as being the consensus second-best player in the class until his teammate, Dylan Harper, showed more of what he could do while playing alongside Bailey. Assuming that Bailey still has the talent that once made people wonder if he was the best player in the class, Brooklyn may be able to benefit from Bailey's projected drop.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store