Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez on the bench during the game against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at State Farm Arena.
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Following two seasons that featured a combined 118 losses, the Brooklyn Nets have officially shed the tanking label. Jordi Fernandez and co. will look to take a step back towards relevance during the 2026-27 campaign. Despite this, Brooklyn had a relatively quiet offseason.
The Nets acquired Julius Randle via trade, signed Keon Ellis and Moe Wagner in free agency and drafted Mikel Brown Jr., Joshua Jefferson and Tyler Bilodeau. Their lack of wholesale changes has left many skeptical that they will take a significant step forward this season. Brooklyn finished in the bottom six of six separate preseason NBA power rankings.
CBS Sports placed the Nets at No. 29 in their rankings. ClutchPoints, ESPN and Bleacher Report each had Brooklyn at No. 28. Meanwhile, SB Nation and The Athletic had the rebuilding squad slightly higher at No. 25.
“I have the Nets out of the basement because they have no incentive to be bad, besides the new tanking rules,” wrote The Athletic's Law Murray. “The Rockets can swap their pick, courtesy of the 80 games James Harden played in Brooklyn. The Nets made moves accordingly, trading Nic Claxton for Julius Randle. Keon Ellis replaces Ziaire Williams, Mikel Brown Jr. is in for Malachi Smith, Joshua Jefferson is swapped in for Ochai Agbaji and Moritz Wagner supplants Jalen Wilson. Watching Randle and Michael Porter Jr. attempt to share the ball will be an acquired taste. But if nothing else, the Nets should have a significant size advantage.”
Randle should provide a significant boost to the Nets' offense as a proven on-ball creator.
Nets finish near bottom of NBA power rankings entering 2026-27 campaign
Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez talks to guard Egor Demin (8) during the first quarter against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center.
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The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 48.1 percent shooting across 79 appearances with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. Barring a trade, Brooklyn will also have Michael Porter Jr., who is coming off a career-best season. And while Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Demin make up one of the NBA's youngest backcourts, the duo impressed during Summer League action.
“Much like the Bulls and their roster full of players with no clear direction, the Brooklyn Nets have also assembled what they believe can be an anti-bottom-three roster to have the best lottery odds in 2027,” wrote ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel. “That is why the Nets are keeping Michael Porter Jr. (for the moment), and added Julius Randle, whose fit is definitely questionable with this team's style of play. The good news for the Nets is that they have Egor Demin entering his second season and expected to make a big sophomore jump, as well as rookie Mikel Brown Jr. Both players can be electric scorers, and they represent the future of this organization.”
While Randle and Porter will play critical roles as the team's most experienced veterans, Brooklyn's ability to exceed expectations will hinge on internal development from its young prospects. After making eight picks in the last two drafts, the Nets have 11 players age 24 or younger.
Demin and Brown will play heavy minutes as starters. Meanwhile, Day'Ron Sharpe, Noah Clowney and Josh Minott each return with multiple NBA seasons under their belts. Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf should also see extended opportunities as sophomores.
The Nets will open the preseason on the road on Oct. 6 against the Charlotte Hornets. They'll host the Hornets during their regular-season opener on Oct. 21 at Barclays Center.