The Brooklyn Nets spent the 2026 NBA offseason trying to push forward after a brutal 20-62 season, and the headline move was obvious: a trade for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle. But not every decision in Brooklyn’s summer has landed cleanly.
One of the sharpest critiques came from Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, who questioned the way the Nets handled two of their free-agent additions. Brooklyn signed guard Keon Ellis and center Moritz Wagner, but both deals include mutual options for the 2027-28 season.
"There was no reason for them to give mutual options to Mo Wagner and Keon Ellis. They had more than enough cap space to just pay them more and get team options," Sam Quinn wrote of the Nets for CBS Sports in his front-office rankings.
Quinn went even further, questioning the broader logic behind the Nets’ approach.
"Why didn't they use their surplus cap space to try to steal a restricted free agent? This offseason made little sense.
The strategy here is unclear," Quinn continued on the Nets. "The Nets have gotten far more right than they're credited for, but they'll have to chart a clearer course moving forward if they want to make it into the top half of these rankings."
He placed Brooklyn 16th in his NBA front-office rankings, while also noting that the Nets have done enough right to avoid a harsher grade. Still, his main point was simple: with the cap space they had, Brooklyn could have structured the Ellis and Wagner deals differently.
Ellis signed a two-year, $18 million contract, and Wagner landed a two-year, $19 million deal. That puts both players among the top six highest-paid players on the roster heading into next season.
Both are expected to come off the bench for head coach Jordi Fernandez, but the mutual options could become a useful part of the equation if they play well and Brooklyn wants to keep them around.
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Julius Randle Just Turned The Knicks Into A Nets Challenge
Julius Randles arrival gives the Brooklyn Nets a fresh subplot with a familiar face attached to it. After a run with the Minnesota Timberwolves and his earlier years with the New York Knicks, he now lands in a place where every move gets measured against the team across the river, especially after the Knicks recent championship success changed the tone of the conversation in New York.
Randle was careful not to claim any credit for what the Knicks became, but the connection is hard to ignore for Nets fans trying to picture what comes next. His career has already been shaped by big swings, including the trades that sent him and Karl-Anthony Towns into the middle of the Knicks title path, and now the question is whether Brooklyn can build something of its own with him in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Julius Randles Nets Role Could Shape This Rebuild Fast
Julius Randle arrives in Brooklyn with a different kind of assignment than the one he had across town. After being dealt from the Knicks as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns transaction, he steps into a Nets roster that is clearly in rebuild mode, with the organization hoping his experience can help steady a young group that is still learning how to win together. For a team trying to accelerate its timeline, adding a veteran who can set a tone matters almost as much as any box score production.
Randle has said he wants to bring leadership and mentorship to the mix, and that is exactly the sort of influence Brooklyn is betting on as it tries to shape the next phase of its roster. The optimism around him has already come from both the coach and the owner, and now the question is how quickly that presence translates inside a locker room full of younger players. The Nets do not need him to carry a rebuild alone, but they do need him to help define what it looks like. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rebuild Could Force A Big Michael Porter Jr. Decision
Brooklyns new roster direction has made Michael Porter Jr. a name to watch well before the trade deadline, with the Nets leaning hard into development and flexibility. According to a report by Anthony Slater, the front office is more likely to treat Porter as a movable asset than as part of the long-term core, a shift that fits a team trying to sort out its next competitive timeline.
Porters age and contract situation only add to the possibility that Brooklyn could entertain offers if the market gets serious. The Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons have already been mentioned as possible suitors, but nothing official is in place yet, leaving the Nets to balance immediate roster clarity against the value of waiting for the right deal. [Read more 🡒]