The Brooklyn Nets are walking into the 2026-27 season with a roster full of young players who still have something to prove, and that makes for some fun speculation. One recent set of predictions took a swing at everything from breakout seasons to future roster moves, and a few of those calls feel a lot more realistic than others.
The biggest confidence pick centers on Egor Dëmin, and it is easy to see why. After showing flashes as a rookie, he looks like one of Brooklyn’s top breakout candidates.
The expectation here is simple: he should be a lot better this season than he was last year, and by the end of it, he could be viewed as one of the league’s most promising young guards. Calling him a future All-Star is a bold step, but it is a step the source is willing to take.
Keon Ellis is another name that gets a strong endorsement. Jordi Fernández pushed hard for Brooklyn to bring Ellis in after their time together in Sacramento, and that connection matters.
Ellis should fit cleanly into Fernández’s system, and the expectation is that he becomes one of the Nets’ most dependable perimeter defenders. He could also grow into a steady presence for a very young guard room, with the kind of leadership that keeps him around for years.
There is also a long-view prediction that Brooklyn eventually lands either Deni Avdija or Franz Wagner by 2028. The stronger lean is toward Wagner, especially with the Nets having already added Mo Wagner in free agency this offseason.
Orlando has invested heavily in the Franz Wagner-Paolo Banchero pairing, but if that group does not get the Magic where they want to go, the door could open later. If Franz ever becomes available, Brooklyn would be a natural suitor.
Not every prediction gets the same thumbs-up. The idea that Noah Clowney, Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf and Drake Powell are all gone within a year is too aggressive.
Clowney and Wolf are viewed as likely to still be in Brooklyn, with both seen as part of the team’s long-term frontcourt picture. Saraf and Powell are the trickier cases.
If Mikel Brown Jr. has a strong rookie season and Nolan Traoré keeps climbing, Saraf’s role could shrink. Powell, meanwhile, has to show more offensively.
His defense already matters, but without real growth on that end, Brooklyn could eventually look elsewhere for a more complete player.
Traoré himself is projected to become a long-term piece, and that call gets a nod as well. There is real confidence that he can have a strong sophomore season.
If he takes the expected step forward, he and Dëmin could end up being two of Brooklyn’s best young hits from its recent crop of additions. There is still optimism about Powell, Saraf and Wolf, but Traoré feels like the safest bet of that group.
One of the more uncomfortable predictions is Michael Porter Jr. not being on the Nets next season, but that one lands too. The source sees little chance of Brooklyn and Porter reaching an extension.
If that happens, the options would be a trade during the season or letting him walk in free agency. There is even a larger-picture angle here: if Brooklyn eventually goes after Franz Wagner, Porter could become part of a bigger deal.
Fernández is expected to keep earning respect, but finishing top five in Coach of the Year voting feels like a bridge too far for now. The belief is that Brooklyn will surprise people and outplay expectations, and Fernández has already shown why the organization trusts him in this rebuild.
Still, top five in the award race is not the pick here. The door remains open for later, though, with the possibility that he eventually wins it or comes close.
Mikel Brown Jr. is another young player with a prediction attached to him, and this one feels more likely. The No. 6 overall pick could have a slow, uneven start, which would not be a problem at all.
For a rookie, the game often takes time to slow down. The expectation is that Brown figures things out as the season goes on and ends up on an All-Rookie team.
Day’Ron Sharpe’s projected leap is also easy to picture. He put up nine points, seven rebounds and two assists last season in just 19 minutes per game, mostly off the bench.
With a much bigger role coming, the numbers should climb. A season around 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists is seen as realistic if he gets close to 28 minutes a night as a starter.
That kind of year would also put him in position for a long-term deal in Brooklyn.
The one prediction the source pushes back on hardest is the idea that the Nets win 37 games and stay in the Play-In race. There is belief that Brooklyn will improve after last season’s 20-win finish, and the roster is deeper and more talented than it was a year ago.
But jumping all the way to 37 wins would require a massive leap, and that feels like too much right now. The Nets can be better without necessarily being a Play-In team, especially with so many young players still developing and so many key minutes going to players with limited NBA experience.
In the end, the strongest confidence sits with Dëmin, Traoré, Ellis, Brown and Sharpe, while Clowney and Wolf are viewed as important pieces of Brooklyn’s longer-term future.
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