The Brooklyn Nets are heading into next season with a different kind of urgency, and one of the clearest signs is what they’re not doing this time around.
After three straight years out of the postseason, Brooklyn has spent the offseason trying to position itself to compete again. The team no longer controls its first-round pick next year, which takes tanking off the table and opens the door to a real push for a play-in spot.
That doesn’t mean the Nets are suddenly ready-made contenders, though. Development still has to be the priority.
That was supposed to be the case last season, too, when Brooklyn came in with five incoming first-round picks and a clear emphasis on growth. But one move undercut that plan: after the restricted free agent market showed no interest in Cam Thomas, the Nets brought him back on a one-year deal.
Thomas has always put up scoring numbers, but the production never translated into winning, and his inefficient style has already left him without a new team after being cut by both the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks last season. Even with the warning signs, Brooklyn still gave him a heavy role, and he took nearly 13 shots a night over 24 games with the team.
That mattered for the younger players. Egor Demin flashed some early promise, but it wasn’t always easy for him and others to get the kind of touches they needed while Thomas was dominating possessions. The contrast with a player like Julius Randle is part of the point here: Randle can also control an offense’s rhythm, but he does it while still helping a team win and involving others, as shown by his five assists per game last season.
Brooklyn’s latest additions suggest the front office took that lesson seriously. The Nets used the No. 6 pick on Mikel Brown Jr. and also brought in Keon Ellis and Moe Wagner, signaling a preference for role players who can contribute without needing the ball in their hands all the time.
That approach may come with some growing pains. Young players are going to make mistakes, and they’re going to have to play through them. But Brooklyn seems to understand that giving those players room to learn is the point - and that avoiding another Cam Thomas situation could help them now and down the line.
In Other News...
Julius Randle Sends Clear Message About Brooklyns Rebuild Patience
Julius Randle is already making the case for patience in Brooklyn, where the offseason trade that brought him in from Minnesota also signaled a broader reset. The veteran forward met with the media this week and framed the Nets approach for the coming season as one built around belief in the rosters talent, even after a brutal 20-62 finish last year.
Randle did not sugarcoat the challenge ahead, and that is part of what makes his voice matter for a team trying to climb back into relevance. Brooklyn is still leaning into development while trying to add real structure around its younger pieces, and Randles arrival gives the Nets a more established presence as they try to turn potential into something sturdier, even if the next step may be more incremental than dramatic. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Sign Joshua Jefferson To Multi-Year Deal With Real Rookie Buzz
The Nets have locked in another piece of their young core, signing forward Joshua Jefferson to a multi-year deal after taking him with the 28th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Jefferson arrives in Brooklyn with a reputation that stretches well beyond draft night, built over four college seasons at Saint Marys and Iowa State, where he became one of the more versatile forwards in the country.
His rsum includes All-America Second Team and All-Big 12 First Team honors, plus a standout 2025-26 season that put him in rare company nationwide. Jefferson led Division I in triple-doubles and set a Big 12 mark for multiple triple-doubles in conference play, the kind of production that gives the Nets a different sort of frontcourt option as they continue shaping the roster around their latest wave of talent. [Read more 🡒]
Joshua Jefferson Just Got His First Real Nets Test
Joshua Jefferson finally got a real look in a Nets uniform in Las Vegas, and it came only after the trade that brought Julius Randle to Brooklyn was officially finalized on Friday. The rookie forward made his Summer League debut with nine points and two steals, giving the Nets a first glimpse of a player whose passing and feel are part of what intrigued them in the first place.
For Jefferson, it was also his first competitive game since March after an injury interrupted his spring and kept him from even getting practice reps. He sounded confident about how his game can translate into Brooklyns rotation, especially with the way he sees the floor and keeps the ball moving, but the bigger question is where that skill set fits once the roster is set and the minutes start getting divided up. [Read more 🡒]