On the same day they announced contract agreements with Egor Demin, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf, the Brooklyn Nets got an update regarding the fourth member of a five-man 2025 NBA Draft class.
Per Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Brooklyn has paid Saint-Quentin the maximum buyout for guard Nolan Traore, the 19th-overall pick in last week’s draft.
“The Nets had to pay Saint-Quentin the maximum buyout for Nolan Traore. (It was $850,000 last year, for perspective),” Lewis posted to X on Thursday. “Now the parties have been waiting on a letter regarding said buyout. Once that’s all done, Traore can officially sign with Brooklyn.”
While this process does delay the Nets’ ability to sign their soon-to-be new face, it’s not unusual. Back in 2018, the Dallas Mavericks had to negotiate a buyout with Real Madrid to officially sign Luka Doncic. Just like with Traore, NBA and FIBA clearance were still required before Doncic inked his rookie deal.
Under the NBA’s global agreement with FIBA, any player leaving a FIBA-affiliated club must get a Letter of Clearance (LoC) which confirms said player is not currently tied to any sort of active contract. NBA franchises can contribute up to a specific “Excluded International Player Payment Amount,” which sat around $750,000 as of the 2020-21 season, per CBA FAQ.
As Lewis mentions, last season’s max buyout was $850,000, but a figure has not yet been set for the 2025-26 season.
Across two seasons with Saint-Quentin, Traore averaged 11.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. He’s a 6-foot-4 guard with blazing speed, and is expected to add a fresh and denyamic layer to Jordi Fernandez’s offensive attack.
Traore remains Brooklyn’s lone unsigned draftee, as the franchise continues to grapple with a decision regarding a new contract for Cam Thomas.
Drake Powell, the 22nd-overall pick out of North Carolina, may have already signed his rookie scale contract, but because he was acquired with a pick included in a three team deal (Nets, Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks), his deal has yet to be announced.
Assuming everything goes well on FIBA’s end, both Traore and Powell should see their names in press releases quite soon.
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