NBA Draft 2017: 5 targets for the Brooklyn Nets

The Nets will look to add more talent to their roster following Tuesday’s blockbuster trade. Owning picks No. 22 and 57, they’ll still be involved despite sending the No. 27 pick to Los Angeles.

The current regime of the Brooklyn Nets got off to a promising start last year, all things considered. New coach Kenny Atkinson got his team playing his brand of uptempo modern NBA basketball. The players responded well to the coach and played hard. General manager Sean Marks made a handful of deft moves and will look to add more talent to the roster following Tuesday’s big trade.

Despite the No. 1 pick going to Boston and No. 27 to Los Angeles, there will be opportunities to add talent on Thursday. Brooklyn owns picks No. 22 and 57 on Thursday’s draft. They have building pieces on the wing and now at point guard with Caris Levert and D’Angelo Russell moving forward, and will aim to add another young standout or two. Here are five players who could become Nets tomorrow:

5. Anzejs Pasecniks

The Nets will look different without Brook Lopez. He has been the face of the Nets organization during the last few seasons. Lopez didn’t complain or demand a trade; he just went out and got buckets. The 29-year-old was dealt one year in advance of free agency. And while D’Angelo Russell could easily make this trade worth it, the center position is in flux at this point in time and needs to be addressed now.

Justin Hamilton is the lone remaining center on Brooklyn’s roster. The former LSU big man has been a journeyman during his NBA career. He probably shouldn’t even be a stopgap at the center position. Hamilton proved to be a system fit last year as Coach Kenny Atkinson made his centers play on the perimeter however, a perceived strength of Hamilton’s. It should be in the Nets best interest to add a young center with well rounded skills to develop in this draft so Hamilton doesn’t claim too many minutes.

Due to his Latvian heritage and the fact that he is a skilled 7-foot-2 big man, many have compared Anzejs Pasecniks to Kristaps Porzingis. And while Pasecniks is unusually mobile and has a developing outside game similarly to Porzingis, he doesn’t excel in any area of his game like his former under-18 teammate. Pasecniks could be a good shooter with time, but he is a poor rebounder and defender at this point. His frame won’t change dramatically at 21, but he will need to add weight to play in the paint in the NBA. Due to the fact that he is mobile and has well rounded skills, he fits in well in Brooklyn and could be a solid fit.