The Brooklyn Nets are heading into next season with a chance to change the conversation around the franchise, and Michael Porter Jr. could be right at the center of it.
Brooklyn is trying to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2023, and after a stretch of living near the bottom of the standings, the team may finally be moving toward something better. The roster has been reshaped with additions like Julius Randle, Mikel Brown Jr. and others, giving the Nets a look that should make them one of the more intriguing teams in the Eastern Conference.
Still, the biggest reason for optimism may be Porter. In his second season with Brooklyn, he has the chance to build on what was a career year in 2025-26. He averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and three assists last season, production that made him look like a dependable high-volume scorer.
That’s a far cry from how his value was viewed a year ago. Denver had to attach a first-round pick just to move him for Cam Johnson, who struggled in his first season with the Nuggets.
Porter has since reminded people that he can be more than a scoring option, too. He already showed his value as a winner by starting for Denver during its 2023 title run, and last season suggested he can handle being a No. 1 option when the situation calls for it.
His injury history has always been part of the conversation, and so have the off-court distractions that seem to follow him whenever he steps in front of a podcast microphone. But none of that has changed the fact that, when he’s available, he can tilt a game.
That’s what makes him such an interesting figure for Brooklyn this season. If Porter can put up numbers close to what he delivered a year ago while helping push the Nets toward a playoff spot, his value will only keep climbing. He’s also in the final year of his contract, which means a strong season could put him on track to become a highly coveted free agent.
For now, the Nets and Porter are both flying a little under the radar. That could change quickly. A few big nights, and the attention will follow the former champion.
In Other News...
Cam Whitmore Suddenly Feels Like A Nets Fit To Watch
Cam Whitmores path has quickly turned uncertain after Cleveland acquired him in a multi-team trade, only for the Cavaliers to reportedly weigh whether to waive and stretch his contract. For a young wing with real upside, that kind of roster calculus can be harsh, but it also opens the door for a team that still has room to think more about talent than fit on paper.
The Nets are one of the clubs worth watching if Whitmore does become available. Brooklyn has a clear need for young scoring help on the wing, and Whitmores profile lines up with the kind of upside swing that makes sense for a team still sorting out its long-term core. Charlotte is another possible landing spot, but from Brooklyns perspective, this is exactly the sort of opportunity that can go from theoretical to very real in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Still Face One Brutal Question After A Quiet Offseason
The Nets spent the offseason piecing together a new look, adding Julius Randle in a trade, signing Keon Ellis and Moe Wagner, and using the draft to bring in Mikel Brown Jr., Joshua Jefferson and Tyler Bilodeau. After two seasons that produced a combined 118 losses, Brooklyn is betting that a mix of veterans such as Randle and Michael Porter Jr. and a handful of young prospects can at least move the group toward respectability.
Still, the real test is less about the names on the roster and more about what happens when the games start to count. Brooklyn opens preseason Oct. 6 against the Hornets, then gets Charlotte again in the home opener on Oct. 21, and those early dates should offer the first real clues about whether this quiet reset has enough structure to hold up once the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Fans Are Split On What This Season Really Means
The Nets head into the new season carrying the kind of weight that comes with a long rebuild and a fan base that has learned to read between the lines. After finishing with 20 wins and missing the postseason again, Brooklyn still has Joe Tsai and Sean Marks preaching patience, even as the roster has been reshaped with names like Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. and the outside world keeps trying to assign a timetable to the turnaround.
There is some real intrigue here, because the roster has enough recognizable talent to make a leap feel possible, but not enough certainty to quiet the doubts. Oddsmakers have set the bar around 24.5 wins, which says plenty about how the league views the Nets right now, and it leaves Brooklyn stuck in the middle of two different conversations: whether this is the start of something more serious, or just another season of waiting for the rebuild to show its hand. [Read more 🡒]