Nets general manager sees tremendous upside in drafting young European players to play with Brooklyn Nets

It’s NBA Draft night and the excitement among NBA fans in the arena at the Barclays Center, as well as reporters in the Brooklyn Nets press room is quite apparent. For the last several years, Brooklyn Nets’ fans have been sidelined during the early rounds of the draft because of a trade with the Boston Celtics in 2013 that brought Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn. If it were not for some fancy maneuvering every year on the part of Nets’ management, Brooklyn wouldn’t have a pick at all until 2019, as its picks were part of the deal with Boston.

Brooklyn Nets 2018 NBA Draft Picks

With the Nets first pick of the night at No. 29, general manager Sean Marks selected Dzanan Musa from Bosnia, who plays for Cedevita of the Croatian League. We don’t generally get news about European players, but Musa happens to be ranked No. 18 in ESPN’s Top 100. Musa, who is 19-years-old, has lived on his own since he was 11-years-old and moved to Croatia to join KK Cedevita at age 15. It's not that many people in the world with that type of initiative.

VIDEO: Sean Marks speaks highly of Dzanan Musa

Next up at No. 40, the Nets selected 20-year-old Rodions Kurucs from Latvia. Marks personally scouted Kurucs while he played with his Spanish league team.

At No. 45, the Nets selected Hamidou Diallo and promptly traded his rights to the Charlotte Hornets.

VIDEO: Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks on Dzanan Musa and Rodions Kurucs

Could Preston's decision to leave the University of Kansas and turn pro in Europe lead others to do the same?

Billy Preston, a student on the University of Kansas basketball team, decided to take a page out of the Big Baller Brand playbook and has now signed with a professional team in Bosnia, according to rivals.com.

KU looked into a car accident on campus involving Preston and later sent its findings to the NCAA. Eighteen games later and with no decision from the NCAA, Preston said adios to the Jayhawks and signed with the team in Bosnia.