It wasn’t exactly a secret what the Brooklyn Nets’ goal was for this season: They used all five of their first-round picks last June, then this summer they traded or let walk Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder and D’Angelo Russell. Brooklyn is going to lean into Cam Thomas — playing for his next contract on the qualifying offer — and Michael Porter Jr. to drive their offense.
But if you had any doubts about the plan, here is what team owner Joe Tsai said while on the All-In podcast (hat tip RealGM).
“I have to say we’re in a rebuilding year. We spent all of our pick (in the 2025 NBA Draft). We had five first-round draft picks this past summer …
“We have one [first-round] pick in 2026, and we hope to get a good pick. So, you can predict what kind of strategy we will use for this season. But we have a very young team.”
This upcoming NBA Draft is considered a strong draft at the top with Darryn Peterson (Kansas), A.J. Dybantsa (BYU) and Cameron Boozer (Duke) all in the mix for the No. 1 pick, with some other real talent such as Nate Ament (Tennessee), Mikel Brown (Louisville) and Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor) worth keeping an eye on.
Brooklyn isn’t the only team starting this season with an eye toward the draft, the same idea is playing out in Utah and Washington, and you can be sure a few other teams with long-shot postseason hopes will be pivoting to the strategy early.
The Nets control their own pick this season, but in 2027 the Houston Rockets have swap rights. Starting in 2028, the Nets will have their own first-round picks and/or first-round picks or swaps coming in from the Knicks, 76ers and Nuggets.
