The Brooklyn Nets didn’t exactly trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo last night, but they still made a big deal when they acquired forward Julius Randle from the Minnesota Timberwolves via trade. Brooklyn had to trade center Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls in order to get Randle and the No. 28 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and it seems like the Nets could get an interesting player with the pick.
“With a new hole at center, Jayden Quaintance could be an option for a team that suddenly has win-now players and a collection of youngsters,” Jonathan Wasserman wrote on Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance. Wasserman projected the Nets to take Quaintance with the pick especially given the fact that Brooklyn now as a hole at center behind veteran Day’Ron Sharpe.
“Quaintance wasn’t one of the first 24 players invited to the green room, and teams believe too many front offices are scared of the 2025 ACL injury that’s prevented him from showing anything in over a year,” Wasserman continued. “Between the lack of production and medical concerns, Quaintance has suddenly become an intriguing buy-low option late in the first round.”
Quaintance, 18, is one of the more polarizing prospects in the 2026 class given his past injuries combined with his outstanding physical profile that leads some to believe that he could be an impactful player someday. Over his two-year career that was interrupted by a knee injury, Quaintance averaged 8.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 52.9% from the field and 45.2% from the free-throw line.
Quaintance has not had a formal workout with the Nets over the course of the pre-draft process, but that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t be under consideration for Brooklyn now that they have the chance to take someone towards the end of the draft. The Nets have less than 24 hours to decide who they will be taking in the draft, but if Quaintance is on the board, Brooklyn could do worse than taking a young player with his potential.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets projected to take Jayden Quaintance 28th in 2026 NBA Draft
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