The Atlanta Hawks' firing of general manager Landy Fields on Monday underscored Sean Marks’ longevity with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Hawks’ move was the latest in the NBA executive carousel that appears to have started hot and heavy this very month. In addition to Fields, the New Orleans Pelicans fired executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, the Sacramento Kings parted ways with general manager Monte McNair and the Denver Nuggets dismissed general manager Calvin Booth.
Marks, the Nets general manager, has not been linked with a move away from the franchise; however, the recent decisions concerning his peers speak to how perilous an NBA front office job can be. The Hawks and the Kings both lost in the play-in this season. The former had just rebuilt their squad over the summer. The latter had been named Basketball Executive of the Year as recently as 2023. Booth’s Nuggets won their NBA championship that year.
Marks was officially named Nets GM on February 18, 2016 by then-owner Mikhail Prokhorov. He had previously competed in the NBA for 12 seasons and had also served as an assistant general manager, assistant coach and basketball operations assistant for the San Antonio Spurs. The New Zealand-born executive had also been the director of basketball operations and GM for the Spurs' G League affiliate.
This means that Marks is creeping up on 10 years as Brooklyn's chief decision maker. Only Sam Presti (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Andy Elisburg (Miami Heat) have spent more time in their positions than Marks.
Brooklyn’s GM is facing one of his most consequential summers in the job. The Nets just finished year one of a full-on rebuild. Now, the 2025 NBA Draft is right around the corner, with free agency also looming. Marks said that the Nets would be “opportunistic” in their approach.
“It’s just about being opportunistic as to how we build and when we go all-in again, so to speak, and there could be going all-in with [...] free agents or trades, but it also could be go[ing] all-in with systematically growing some homegrown talent,” he said. “And we've done that in the past and grown some guys here, developed some guys here, as well as attracted top tier talent from elsewhere.”
Most recently, the Nets signed Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden to the same roster. Going back further, it was Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce joining Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. Now, it appears like Giannis Antetokounmpo could be that holy grail — but acquiring him looks very tough, and it might never become a real option for the Nets.
In turn, that leaves the draft. The Nets’ first pick this year will be the highest under Marks’ tenure as GM. The team has a 9% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the May 12 draft lottery
“You can say, "I remember when they drafted this guy. I've seen the development course of such and such a player,’ and to me, that's exciting to see where these young men are gonna end up in a couple of years from now,” Marks said to the YES Network on April 13. “With all the picks that we have and the flexibility we have in the future, it's a great time.”
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