27. Brooklyn Nets – Ivan Rabb, F, California
GM: Aidan Wilkins; Twitter: @WILkins_POWER
Watching the Celtics win the lottery was difficult for Brooklyn, knowing that Boston also holds their first round pick next year that could potentially be in the top five as well. In order to maximize the potential of what picks Brooklyn does have, the Nets flipped their 22nd overall selection to Phoenix for Brandon Knight.
Knight had a bad season in 2016 and could rebound well on a Brooklyn team devoid of NBA caliber talent. This move could help Brooklyn get a little better in the short term. With this pick, the Nets took the more long term approach by selecting California sophomore Ivan Rabb. Rabb is a 6-foot-10 power forward that averaged a double-double.
While he has not developed as much as projected in his sophomore campaign (he was projected to be a lottery choice through the beginning of the season), he still has many of the tools that could lead him to being a potentially solid role player in the NBA.