Bleacher Report has weighed in on which Nets players should be protected in a potential expansion draft. Here’s a look at who Brooklyn should keep safe—and where the toughest decisions come in.
The Brooklyn Nets would have some interesting decisions to make if the NBA eventually holds an expansion draft.
With the league appearing to move closer to adding two new franchises, Bleacher Report recently looked at which players each NBA team would protect if an expansion draft were held today.
For the Nets, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale and Grant Hughes identified eight players they believe Brooklyn would protect under the rules used for the Charlotte Bobcats’ expansion draft in 2004.
The eight players were Michael Porter Jr., Egor Dëmin, Mikel Brown Jr., Day’Ron Sharpe, Joshua Jefferson, Noah Clowney, Josh Minott and Drake Powell.
I agree with most of the list.
Dëmin and Brown are the two easiest selections. Brooklyn has invested heavily in both guards, with Dëmin entering his second NBA season after being selected No. 8 overall in 2025 and Brown joining the organization as the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Porter is another player I would absolutely protect.
There is an argument for leaving the 28-year-old forward unprotected, especially with him entering the final year of his contract and carrying a significant salary. But Porter is still one of Brooklyn’s most important offensive players, and I wouldn't want to see the Nets risk losing him for nothing.
I also agree with protecting Sharpe, Clowney, and Minott. All three are young, useful players who have already shown enough to make me want to keep them around as Brooklyn continues to build this roster.
That leaves the final two spots.
For me, the decision would come down to Powell, Jefferson, Danny Wolf, and Nolan Traore.
I would eliminate Traore from consideration simply because the Nets have already protected Dëmin and Brown. Brooklyn already has two young guards it clearly views as important pieces of the future, so I would use that spot elsewhere.
I would protect Powell.
Powell showed enough defensively during his rookie season to make me believe there is something worth continuing to develop. If his offensive game takes another step forward, he could become an even more valuable piece for Brooklyn.
The final spot would be between Wolf and Jefferson, and right now, I would go with Wolf.
That isn't a knock on Jefferson. We just haven't seen him play an NBA game yet. As the No. 28 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, there is still plenty we don't know about what his rookie season will look like.
Wolf, on the other hand, has already shown what he can do at the NBA level.
Because of that, I would feel more comfortable protecting Wolf right now. That could change once Jefferson gets on the court and shows what he can bring to the Nets, but based on what we know today, Wolf gets the nod.
One player who isn't on my protected list is Julius Randle.
Randle is obviously a talented player, but I don't think he makes as much sense as a long-term piece for this Nets team. Brooklyn has made it clear that developing its young players is a major priority, and the organization has put a lot of stock in the players it has drafted in recent years.
That makes it tough to justify protecting Randle over one of those younger players who could still be part of the Nets when they're ready to seriously compete.
So while Bleacher Report's list is pretty close to what I would do, I would make one change.
My eight protected players would be Dëmin, Brown, Porter, Sharpe, Clowney, Minott, Powell, and Wolf.That would leave Randle, Traore, Jefferson, Terrance Mann, Ben Saraf, Keon Ellis, and Moritz Wagner unprotected and available to be selected by either expansion team.
There are still plenty of questions surrounding Brooklyn's roster, but if an expansion draft were coming today, those are the eight players I would want the Nets to make sure they don't lose.
