The Brooklyn Nets may be focused on the 2026-27 season, but the league’s latest 2027-28 cap projection gives them another reason to keep one eye on the future.
Fred Katz of The Athletic reported Saturday that the NBA has sent teams updated salary cap numbers for 2027-28, with training camp approaching later this month. The cap is now projected at $176 million, and the luxury tax line at $213 million. Both figures are higher than the league’s previous estimate for that season.
For Brooklyn, that matters because the team is lined up to have significant flexibility that summer. Right now, the Nets have only three players clearly on the books for 2027-28: forward Terance Mann at $16 million, rookie guard Mikel Brown Jr. at $9.2 million, and rookie forward Joshua Jefferson at $3.1 million.
Beyond that, the picture gets more complicated. Michael Porter Jr. is set to be an unrestricted free agent by then, unless he signs an extension. Julius Randle would also be in play, carrying a player option worth $35.8 million.
There are other decisions looming too. Forward Noah Clowney is slated to become a restricted free agent that summer, and Brooklyn will also have seven players with team options for 2027-28. The biggest of those belongs to center Day’Ron Sharpe, whose team option is worth $10 million.
Two more names sit in the middle of that option maze: guard Keon Ellis and center Mo Wagner, who each have mutual options for 2027-28 worth $9 million and $9.45 million, respectively. That makes for a summer with plenty of choices on both sides.
And the free-agent market could be loaded. Outside of Porter, the names expected to be available next summer include Kawhi Leonard, Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro, and Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum.
The broader cap trend is familiar, since the league usually sees the ceiling rise year after year. What stands out here is that Brooklyn’s relatively clean books should leave it positioned to take advantage of the extra room when 2027-28 arrives.
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