ESPN’s Zach Kram gave the Brooklyn Nets a B- for their 2026 offseason, and that grade captures part of the picture without really telling the whole story.
On paper, Brooklyn didn’t chase the kind of headline-grabbing summer that turns every discussion into a star hunt. Instead, the Nets added Julius Randle, kept Day’Ron Sharpe and Josh Minott on team-friendly contracts, and rounded out the roster with rotation help such as Keon Ellis and Moritz Wagner. That’s not the loudest offseason in the league, but it does say plenty about what Sean Marks seems to be building.
The biggest move was sending Nic Claxton to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Randle. Kram pointed out the obvious upside: Randle should lift Brooklyn’s floor with his offense.
He also questioned whether the deal really sharpens the team’s long-term direction. That’s a fair concern, but the trade also fits the Nets’ broader goal of creating a more competitive environment around their young core.
Randle brings real scoring punch. He’s an All-NBA caliber offensive player, and he can take some of the pressure off Brooklyn’s young guards while also giving a young locker room a veteran voice. For a roster that remains one of the league’s youngest, that matters.
The rest of the offseason has been built around value. Sharpe’s return keeps one of the NBA’s better backup centers in Brooklyn on a manageable deal, and Kram himself called that move a steal.
Minott adds athleticism and defensive versatility after flashing in 16 games with the Nets last season. Ellis comes in as one of the league’s better perimeter defenders.
Wagner gives the team more frontcourt depth and floor spacing.
Brooklyn also kept feeding the pipeline with youth. The Nets came away from the draft with two first-round selections, highlighted by No. 6 overall pick Mikel Brown Jr.
After taking Tyler Bilodeau with the 43rd pick, the team signed him to a two-way contract, adding another developmental forward with offensive upside. Earlier in the offseason, Brooklyn also signed Chaney Johnson to a two-way deal.
That approach has been consistent throughout the rebuild. The Nets have kept looking for players who can outplay their price tag instead of swinging for one move that changes everything. That same mindset showed up at the end of last season, when Brooklyn used the final months of the 2025-26 campaign to take a long look at developmental talent.
Grant Nelson, Malachi Smith and Trevon Scott all got contracts as part of that evaluation process before the roster was reshaped. Those looks helped the Nets figure out who fit while keeping cap flexibility intact for free agency.
There are still real questions hanging over the franchise. The Houston Rockets own swap rights to Brooklyn’s 2027 first-round pick, which limits the incentive to tank, and the team still doesn’t have a clear cornerstone. That’s why Kram’s grade makes sense.
But if the offseason is judged only by whether Brooklyn landed a splashy name, the bigger goal gets lost. The Nets were trying to get deeper, more competitive and more flexible. That’s the story of this summer.
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