(Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)
The calendar has turned to September. You know what that means, right?! Our offseason outlook series is back for the third-straight year!
Hot Hot Hoops senior writer Matt Hanifan will provide his take on the offseasons of all 30 teams for the next 30 days! We will be going in alphabetical order, beginning with the Eastern Conference. Today, we will look at the Brooklyn Nets’ summer!
Previous offseason outlooks:
Evaluating the Brooklyn Nets’ 2026 offseason
Additions: Julius Randle, Moritz Wagner, Keon Ellis
Subtractions: Nic CLaxton, Jalen Wilson, Ochai Agbaji, EJ Liddell, Ziaire Williams
Re-signed: Josh Minot, Day’Ron Sharpe
Draft: Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 6 overall), Joshua Jefferson (No. 28)
Hanifan’s outlook: Coming off a 20-62 season, the Nets needed to retool. Egor Demin exceeded expectations as a rookie, and Michael Porter Jr. played legitimately good basketball. But the rest of the Nets’ core left plenty to be desired.
They ended up with the No. 6 pick in June’s draft. And one year after drafting three point guards in the top-26 — plus another very good ballhandler in Danny Wolf — they seized another in Mikel Brown Jr. with their top overall selection.
Brown is easily the best of the bunch, with all due respect to Demin, Ben Saraf — who I am still bullish on, despite a rough past ~15-16 months — and Nolan Traore. I also like Jefferson’s processing as a ready-made wing; his superpower is his brain and ability to process on both ends of the floor. Those two moves collectively raise Brooklyn’s floor and upside.
Additionally, Brooklyn elected to reshape his supporting cast by signing two-way guard Keon Ellis (one of my favorites), Moe Wagner and trading for Julius Randle. They’re not exactly a free agency hub, so those aren’t bad moves, although I’m not in love with Randle’s fit.
Randle and MPJ fighting for the ball at halfcourt will be a sight to behold (I’m only half joking). I’m not quite sure how he helps the Nets’ young players. Plus, another big drawback was waiting way too long to sell off Claxton.
All in all, the Nets will be more competitive, but they are still in a hamster wheel of mediocrity, and even that is putting it way too kindly.
Grade: C+
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