HSS Training Center has been active the last several weeks as prospects arrive, work out in (mostly) groups of six and get face-to-face meetings with the team’s top executives starting with Sean Marks and assistant GM B.J. Johnson. On occasion, they’ll also be observed by current Brooklyn Nets players honing their crafts, hitting the weight room.

Indeed, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo think that there’s no NBA team that’s seen more prospects than the team with the most draft picks, at Nos. 8, 19, 26. 27 and 36 Wednesday night.

The Nets have understandably been among the busiest teams in the predraft process, holding picks in every part of the first round and five selections in the top 40. Most around the league expect Brooklyn to be active in trades this week, though it’s not yet clear exactly what that will look like, the prospect of trading up from here to acquire a second lottery pick is among the scenarios the Nets could explore.

While they are unlikely to roster five rookies, Brooklyn has brought in the vast majority of the draft for workouts, giving them more first-hand information on the class than any other team — the Nets are also viewed as a desirable destination by many agents, due to the minutes and opportunity they have available next season.

Sean Marks & co. don’t provide updates on who’s been in and even frown on agents providing intel to the media. Much of the info has been derived in a hodge-podge manner. Agents — and players — still talk as do college coaches. So far, Hoopshype which tracks all 30 teams’ workouts reports that 36 prospects have been in. That is likely half the real number.

Indeed, we suspect we know of a couple of others who Hoopshype doesn’t list. A fan spotted three prospects at a New York Liberty-Atlanta Dream game at Barclays Center…

Nolan Traore, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Jase Richardson are here at Barclays Center. I tried getting their attention but none heard me lmao.

— The Joesen One (@Joe_Martin13) June 17, 2025

Hard to imagine that being some random event. Hoopshype lists Traore but not the other two guard prospects on its tracker.. ESPN also reveals Joan Beringer, the 7-foot shot blocker not listed by Hoopshype, was in recently.

Givony and Woo have made a couple of changes to their take on the Nets since their last mock, posted last week, but still lean towards Duke’s Khaman Maluach at No. 8. Here’s their latest:

#8 – Khaman Maluach, C, 7’2”, Duke

#19 – Asa Newell, PF, 6’11” Georgia

#26 – Nolan Traore, PG, 6’3” Saint-Quentin

#27 – Rasheer Fleming, PF, 6’9”, St. Joseph’s

#36 – Tyrese Proctor, PG, 6’4” Duke

Givony on Maluach

Maluach appears firmly in consideration in New Orleans and Brooklyn, but is also seen by some teams as the most likely among the second-tier players in the Nos. 3-to-8 range to experience a slight drop if a surprising prospect disrupts this part of the draft, though perhaps only a few slots down the board.

Givony and Woo note Egor Demin, the 6’10” BYU point guard, Danny Wolf, the 7’0” Michigan big, and Will Riley, the 6’8” Illinois wing have also drawn Brooklyn’s interest.

And what of Ace Bailey? They believe there’s a good possibility one of the three teams at Nos. 6, 7. and 8 have given the Rutgers forward a guarantee that if he’s on the board when they pick, they will take him.

Bailey, the No. 3 prospect on our big board, is the only U.S. prospect yet to visit an NBA team facility, continuing to decline workout invites from Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Utah, and seemingly preferring the group of teams ranked outside the top five, specifically Washington, New Orleans, and Brooklyn at Nos. 6-7-8. This type of slide could cost him between $10-to-$15 million dollars if it happens.

With the draft a little more than 48 hours away and the top prospects all in New York for the pre-draft press conferences and of course fittings for Draft Night fashion, it’s possible, even likely, that Marks, Johnson, etc. will haven one or more prospects over for last minute chats.

In 2021, Cam Thomas dropped by HSS. At that point, the Nets were committed to Day’Ron Sharpe at no. 27, then their only first round pick. Following the interview, Brooklyn moved to secure a second first rounder, trading away Landry Shamet for Jevon Carter and the No. 29 pick. They wound up taking Thomas at No. 27, Sharpe at 29.

Of course, we are also hours away from the Sean Marks Trade Zone, those 48 hours when Marks is most active. It was last year at this time that the Nets made their big trades with the Knicks and Rockets, providing them with four of the five picks they currently have.

Prepare for the unexpected.