The Brooklyn Nets have sorted out the jersey board for their newest arrivals, and the list comes with a few personal stories attached. The biggest change belongs to Nolan Traoré, who is moving on from one of the most unusual numbers the franchise has ever seen.
Traoré will go from No. 88 to No. 10 ahead of the 2026-27 season. After Brooklyn took him with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, he first wore No. 19, then switched to No. 88 before his rookie year.
That made him the first player in Nets history to wear that number. Now, he’ll settle into No. 10, last worn by Tyson Etienne during the 2025-26 season.
Brooklyn’s veteran additions also have their numbers locked in. Julius Randle will stay with No. 30, the number he has carried throughout his NBA career.
It’s a number with family roots for Randle, who chose it as a child in honor of his mother after she wore No. 30 in her own basketball days. He has said that when he asked if he could wear it growing up, she told him he had to "do something with it," a line that stuck with him all the way to becoming an NBA All-Star.
During his time with the New York Knicks, he also started his "30 for 3" literacy and tutoring initiative, adding another layer to the number’s meaning. No. 30 was last worn in Brooklyn by Ochai Agbaji in 2025-26.
Keon Ellis is taking No. 1 after previously wearing No. 14, a number that meant plenty to him. Ellis wore No. 14 throughout his climb as a player, and Eustis Middle School in Florida retired it after his time there from 2012 to 2014.
But No. 14 is already taken in Brooklyn by Terance Mann, so Ellis will begin his Nets run with No. 1.
That number was last worn by Ziaire Williams.
Moritz Wagner will wear No. 13.
He had spent recent seasons in No. 21, a number tied closely to his relationship with his brother, Franz Wagner. When the two were teammates with the Orlando Magic, Franz moved from No. 21 to No. 22 so Moe could keep the number he had been using.
Wagner also wore No. 21 with the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics. This time, though, No. 21 belongs to Noah Clowney and No. 20 is already taken by Day'Ron Sharpe, so Wagner is going back to No. 13, the number he wore at Michigan.
Tre Scott was the last Net to wear it.
The rookie class has its own set of meaningful choices. Sixth overall pick Mikel Brown Jr. will wear No. 0, the number he has used since childhood.
Brown said he picked it because of his admiration for Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook, and he has stuck with it throughout his career. No. 0 was last worn by Dariq Whitehead in 2025.
Joshua Jefferson will wear No. 9.
He has said No. 5 has always been his preferred number, dating back to when he was around six years old, and he returned to it during his senior college season after previously wearing No. 2.
Neither number was open in Brooklyn, though, since Danny Wolf already wears No. 2 and No. 5 has been retired in honor of Jason Kidd. Jefferson will go with No. 9 instead, which was last worn by EJ Liddell in 2025-26.
Second-round pick Tyler Bilodeau, who signed a two-way contract, will wear No. 34.
Like Randle, his number is tied to his mother. Bilodeau changed to No. 34 during his sophomore season at Oregon State to honor Cass Bauer-Bilodeau, who wore the same number while starring at Montana State before playing professionally in the WNBA and ABL.
He has kept it ever since and has often pointed to his mother as the biggest influence on his basketball path. No. 34 was last worn by Wenyen Gabriel in 2022.
The numbers themselves won’t decide anything on the floor, but for Brooklyn’s new group, several of them carry real meaning. And for Traoré, the switch from No. 88 to No. 10 closes the book on a very distinctive chapter in Nets history.
In Other News...
This Nets Roster Question Could Decide Everything In The Middle
The Nets spent the offseason sorting out a roster that still has more questions than answers in the middle, and the center spot may be the one that matters most. With Nic Claxton gone in the trade, Day'Ron Sharpe is now positioned to handle the starting job, and the teams depth chart behind him is thin enough that every minute he plays feels important.
Sharpes value goes beyond simply occupying the paint. Brooklyn needs his rim protection and rebounding to steady a defense that will already be leaning on other starters in different ways, and the fallback options at center are mostly emergency fixes rather than true answers. If Sharpe has to sit, the Nets would be forced to patch together size and interior defense on the fly, which is exactly the kind of problem that can unravel a young roster. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Came Closer On Michael Porter Jr Than Nets Fans Realized
Before the 2026 NBA trade deadline, the Warriors did more than just kick the tires on Michael Porter Jr. They explored a deal that would have sent draft picks to Brooklyn, a sign that Porters value around the league was real even as the Nets continued to view him as a core piece after a strong 2025-26 season.
What kept the conversation from turning into something more serious was the kind of hesitation that often decides these things in February and beyond. Golden State weighed the cost, the long-term flexibility hit and how Porter might fit in Steve Kerrs system, and those concerns ultimately left Brooklyn with its forward intact while the Warriors moved on. [Read more 🡒]