The Brooklyn Nets have bad news for Rutgers star Dylan Harper

Dylan Harper, son of NBA legend Ron Harper, is on his way to the NBA after a single season with the Rutgers Scarlett Knights. The young guard was one of the most sought-after prospects coming out of high school with teammate Ace Bailey. 

Both players joined Steve Pikiell’s team ahead of the 2024-25 season. They finished with a 15-17 overall record (8-12 in the Big Ten), finishing their season with a 97-89 double overtime loss to the USC Trojans in the first round of their conference tournament. 

Harper finished his season playing 46 minutes, scoring 27 points, grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out eight assists, stealing two balls and blocking two shots. Overall, he averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 48.4% from the field, 33.3% from deep and 75% from the free-throw line.

Brooklyn Nets reportedly unlikely to trade up for Dylan Harper 

Ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, Harper has been linked with the Brooklyn Nets, a team with a young core hungry to make it to the next level. They currently have the No. 8 overall pick, but it’s unlikely that they trade up to take the No. 2 selection to pick Harper.

Dylan Harper #2

Brian Lewis of the New York Post reported on Tuesday that the possibility is off the table. 

“Unlikely. Matter of fact I might even go highly unlikely,” Lewis said. “That’s from multiple sources. You never say never, but I think that’s something that I wouldn’t count on seeing happening. Trading up? Maybe. And I’m sure they’d love to have Dylan Harper, but the odds of him landing here in Brooklyn, not very good.”

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If there wasn’t another prospect called Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper would be the No. 1 overall pick in the eyes of many teams. The San Antonio Spurs own the No. 2 overall pick and they could add another rookie phenom for a third consecutive year to keep building a championship-caliber team.