The Nets have locked in the next step on all five members of their 2025 first-round haul, picking up the third-year rookie scale team options for each player.
Brooklyn confirmed the moves today, ensuring the 2027/28 salaries for Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf are now guaranteed.
Here’s how those salaries break down:
Egor Demin ($7,578,240)
Nolan Traore ($4,193,040)
Drake Powell ($3,709,320)
Ben Saraf ($3,172,920)
Danny Wolf ($3,081,840)
The decisions are hardly a shock. The Nets have plenty of cap flexibility ahead and can afford to take their time with a rookie group that went between eighth and 27th overall a year ago. Even so, the returns from that class have been pretty modest so far, and none of the five cracked an All-Rookie team last season.
Demin is the most prominent of the group at the moment, starting in the lineup and posting averages of 10.1 points, 3.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game. He’s shooting .393/.379/.847.
Traore has also seen meaningful run, opening games part-time across 60 appearances while averaging 9.0 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game on .386/.325/.776 shooting.
Powell, Saraf and Wolf have all been more limited in their roles, with each mostly working off the bench. Powell is averaging 6.4 points and 1.8 rebounds.
Saraf is at 7.4 points and 3.2 assists. Wolf has put up 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Brooklyn’s next deadline with the group comes on November 1, 2027, when the team must decide on the fourth-year options for the 2028/29 season. Those options will run from $9.6MM for Demin down to $5.6MM for Wolf.
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Nets Must Reshape Their Backcourt Again After Egor Dmin Setback
The Nets are already making another adjustment to their backcourt rotation after Egor Dmin was diagnosed with a right leg bone bruise and sent for a re-evaluation in one week. Head coach Jordi Fernndez said Dmin is in good spirits and there is no concern about a long-term issue, but the timing still matters for a team that has been trying to sort out its guard minutes early in the season. Brooklyn also quietly reinforced its long view on the young core by picking up third-year team options for the 2027-28 season on Dmin, Nolan Traor, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf.
For now, though, the immediate focus is on who absorbs Dmins minutes while he sits out at least four games. The setback came during a stretch when Brooklyn was already navigating lineup changes, and it leaves the Nets waiting on both the injury update and the next chance to see how their backcourt pieces fit together once he is cleared to return. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Forced Into Another Backcourt Adjustment After Egor Demin Scare
The Nets are bracing for another backcourt shuffle after Egor Demin was sidelined with a right leg injury, adding another complication to a rotation that has already had to absorb a series of moving parts. Brooklyn is still sorting through its guard options as it tries to keep the pieces in place, and the timing is hardly ideal with the schedule offering little room to settle things down.
Demin has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right leg and will be reevaluated in one week, which means the Nets will have to cover his minutes without much certainty about when he can return. He is expected to miss at least four games, starting Friday against the Pistons, leaving Brooklyn to make yet another adjustment while it waits for a clearer update. [Read more 🡒]
Chaney Johnson Is Forcing A Real Nets Rotation Conversation
Chaney Johnson has spent his second year with the Nets making it harder to ignore what he brings every time he gets on the floor. He has been a steady presence for Jordi Fernndez across summer league, preseason and regular season play after signing a two-way qualifying offer, and his latest showing against Boston fit the pattern of a player who keeps strengthening his case for a longer look.
Against the Celtics, Johnson gave Brooklyn exactly the kind of dependable two-way minutes that can quietly reshape a bench. He has created a real rotation discussion by challenging other players for time, and the ripple effects have already been felt in how Fernndez has been sorting out the back end of the roster. [Read more 🡒]