The Brooklyn Nets have their sights set on a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. After making an NBA-record five-round picks last June, the team has seemingly committed to building through the draft for the first time in the Brooklyn era.
Despite this, rival teams continue to point to Brooklyn as a potential trade suitor for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
“I also continue to hear rival teams musing aloud about Brooklyn's potential emergence as a credible destination given the Nets' considerable cache of draft capital to package with, say, Michael Porter Jr. … or with a trade construction that keeps MPJ in place to play alongside Antetokounmpo,” Fischer wrote.
While the Nets are in the early stages of a rebuild, Antetokounmpo has long been viewed as their top trade target.
Rival teams think Nets could enter Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes
Article Continues Below
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts after scoring his 21,000th career point in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum.
Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Brooklyn has positioned itself as one of the NBA's worst teams in pursuit of a top pick in a loaded 2026 draft. However, the team won't be tanking next season, as it owes a 2027 first-round pick swap to the Houston Rockets. The Nets have the ammo to put together one of the most competitive packages for Antetokounmpo.
They own an NBA-best 13 first-round picks over the next seven years. Michael Porter Jr. or Nic Claxton could serve as a main salary filler in an Antetokounmpo deal. Brooklyn could also include young prospects such as Nolan Traore, Day'Ron Sharpe, Noah Clowney, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf.
The main question surrounding the Nets' potential pursuit of Antetokounmpo is whether they could swing a deal with enough assets leftover to build a team around the two-time MVP. With numerous teams pursuing the Bucks superstar at the deadline and several more likely to enter the equation in the offseason, the price won't be low.