Last year's tanking Brooklyn Nets season didn't result in the payoff the organization hoped for. After exceeding early-season expectations with the help of first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, the Nets finished with the NBA's sixth-worst record and fell to the eighth pick in the draft. Brooklyn's front office has taken measures to maximize its chances of landing a higher pick this year.
Following Dennis Schroder's hot start to last season, the Nets enter the 2025-26 campaign with exclusively rookies at point guard. The rebuilding squad also traded its top player, Cam Johnson, to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr.
Those offseason moves led Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe to confidently take the under on Brooklyn's over/under win total of 19.5.
“The front office Jordi-proofed the roster this year,” Lowe said on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “The only argument for the over is three of their starters are Cam Thomas, Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton. Those are representative NBA starter-level players, and one of them, Cam Thomas, can handle the ball and run some of the offense. I just think, A, they're all gonna be trade candidates, and B, if you hand an NBA team to rookie guards, and they have 1,000 of them, the results are generally disastrous… The offense is gonna be a mess.”
Fans have gotten a preview of the rookie-heavy Nets' offensive struggles this preseason. Brooklyn has averaged 24.3 turnovers over three games.
Will Nets take step back this season while tanking for top draft pick?
It's no secret that Brooklyn made its offseason moves with its 2026 draft position in mind. Nets owner Joe Tsai all but admitted his team was tanking this season during an appearance on the All-In Podcast.
Following last year's disappointing draft lottery result, the rebuilding squad should show more urgency to maximize its 2026 pick.
General Manager Sean Marks traded four first-round picks to the Houston Rockets last summer to reacquire Brooklyn's 2025 and 2026 first-rounders. One of those four picks was the Phoenix Suns' 2025 first-rounder, which ended up No. 10, just two spots behind the Nets' pick.
Given the trade's minuscule early return, Brooklyn should be determined to finish higher in this year's draft lottery standings. Many draft analysts consider the top of the 2026 draft, which features prospects such as Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybansta and Cam Boozer, stronger than the highly-touted 2025 class.
The Nets also owe an unprotected 2027 first-round pick swap to the Rockets, making this year their best chance for an extended period to land a star-level draft prospect.
