The Brooklyn Nets may be making the loudest contract noise around Michael Porter Jr., but he is far from the only extension decision sitting on the table before the season begins.
Porter’s situation has drawn the most attention, and for good reason. Brooklyn and Porter are still working toward a possible long-term deal, though a breakup would not close the door on trade interest.
The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 24.2 points while shooting 46-36-86. Even with the Nets out of the postseason picture, Porter got real All-Star buzz as voting wound down, which tells you how much impact he made.
If an extension gets done, the CBA would block Porter from being traded for six months. That creates a soft deadline on Aug. 11 if Brooklyn wants the option of moving him before the Feb. 11 trade deadline.
For now, the choice looks pretty stark: either Porter plays out the final year of his $40.8 million deal with no clear long-term answer, or he and the Nets lock in a partnership that could run for years. Either way, the two sides have until June 30 to reach an agreement.
But Porter is only part of the picture.
Keith Smith of Spotrac listed Terance Mann among 22 veterans eligible for an extension through Oct. 19.
Mann, 29, is set to make $15.5 million this season and $16.0 million next season. Because his Rookie Scale Extension was completed so close to the start of the 2023 regular season, he cannot begin negotiating a new deal until Oct.
Mann’s first year in Brooklyn produced 7.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on 46-36-79 shooting. On paper, he was a useful rotation piece, but his play hasn’t matched the salary so far. At the same time, Brooklyn’s younger guards have every reason to push for more minutes based on what they’ve shown and what they might become.
If the Nets simply ride out the rest of Mann’s contract, he would stay in Brooklyn through 2027-28. He could still grow into a veteran presence for the group, but his future will probably be shaped by what happens this season.
Then there is Noah Clowney, who is eligible for a Rookie Scale Extension through Oct. 19. The 22-year-old posted 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last season, though the efficiency wasn’t pretty: under 40% from the field and 32.9% from three.
If Brooklyn and Clowney do not come to terms before the regular season, he would be headed toward restricted free agency in 2027. That route has not been especially damaging for the Nets lately, and while the Los Angeles Lakers were able to pry Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz this summer, it took a hefty price in both contract and outgoing picks.
Brooklyn’s roster is loaded with young talent, and Clowney is part of that group. There is plenty of flexibility here, and if the Nets decide not to extend him before Oct. 19, they should still have a strong chance to keep him later because of the amount of money tied up in so many cheap or short-term deals.
In Other News...
Nets Face A Michael Porter Jr. Contract Decision With Real Stakes
Michael Porter Jr.'s future has quickly become one of the more interesting contract watches around Brooklyn. After a strong 2025-26 season, he is eligible for an extension before the 2026-27 NBA season, and the Nets have every reason to weigh the timing carefully as they try to map out the next phase of the roster.
For now, though, there has been no reported extension or contract restructure, which keeps the situation unsettled heading into next season. Porter could wind up playing on an expiring deal, and the uncertainty around whether Brooklyn will lock him in now or let the negotiations stretch further only adds another layer to a decision with real stakes. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Still Have One Roster Question Hanging Over This Offseason
The Nets have done a good amount of their summer work already, adding Mikel Brown Jr., Joshua Jefferson and Tyler Bilodeau in the draft, swinging the deal for Julius Randle and bringing back or signing several other players. On paper, the roster is full, and the market around Brooklyn has settled into something quieter than the churn that defined parts of the offseason.
Still, there is one obvious question hanging over the final weeks before camp: whether the front office is truly done. There have been whispers about possible moves, including the idea of dealing Terance Mann or adding another center, but nothing has surfaced to suggest a transaction is imminent, leaving the Nets in a holding pattern with a complete roster and a little more uncertainty than they may prefer. [Read more 🡒]
The Nets Forwards Who Defined Every Era Of The Franchise
Brooklyn has had a long line of small forwards who helped define what the franchise looked like in different eras, from Bernard King and Rick Barry to Richard Jefferson, Kevin Durant and Julius Erving. Each brought a different kind of gravity to the job, whether it was scoring load, playoff reliability or the sort of star power that could change the entire feel of the team. The names span generations, but the common thread is how often the Nets have leaned on a wing player to set the tone.
Julius Erving still stands apart in that conversation because his Brooklyn years came with the kind of hardware and dominance that turned a great player into a franchise landmark. The article also traces how the others left their own marks through numbers and postseason moments, giving the Nets a position-by-position history lesson that feels bigger than a simple list. It is a reminder that, for this organization, the small forward spot has often been where eras begin and where they are remembered. [Read more 🡒]