The Nets will look at a possible roster piece for the future and a prospective teammate buddy for Johan Petro all rolled into one at the two-day draft combine this weekend at their East Rutherford practice facility.
Evan Fournier, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-7 combo guard from France, like Petro, is considered one of the standout prospects at the combine, which the Nets are running in conjunction with the Houston Rockets.
Fournier, whom the Nets have scouted in the past, is projected as a late first-round selection in some mock drafts.
The combine will run on Saturday and Sunday with two sessions each day. There are 44 hopefuls, largely projected as second-round selections, scheduled to attend. Players will be measured, skill-tested and then compete in 5-on-5 competition. All 30 NBA teams are expected to have representatives at the combine.
Jae Crowder of Marquette, the Big East Player of the Year, along with fellow conference standout Kris Joseph of Syracuse, are scheduled to compete.
Others attending the event, which the Nets also helped put together and run last year, are 6-1 Iona point guard Scott Machado, 7-0 LSU center Justin Hamilton, 6-foot Xavier guard Tu Holloway, 6-1 guard Zach Rosen of Penn, the Ivy League and Big 5 Player of the Year, 6-3 Missouri guard Marcus Denmon and 6-1 Texas guard J’Covan Brown.
The Nets traded their first-round pick to Portland for Gerald Wallace, but the selection is protected one-through-three. They have a second-round pick, Miami’s, the 57th overall selection.