Sean Marks has Brooklyn sitting on a pile of assets, and he’s not pretending there’s a finish line in sight.
The Nets’ biggest card this season is not a veteran anchor or a breakout star. It’s the 13 first-round picks in the cupboard, the kind of draft capital that gives a front office real muscle when the right name hits the market. Marks has spent years building that stockpile by moving Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges, and now Brooklyn is positioned to act when the moment calls for it.
That’s the lane Marks wants to keep open: flexibility with a clear appetite for a major swing. He went after that kind of move this offseason, getting involved in the Jaylen Brown sweepstakes before the Boston Celtics sent him to the Philadelphia 76ers. The pursuit didn’t land, but it showed the direction Brooklyn is headed.
“It’s also a combination of what becomes available,” Marks told reporters at media day. “Can't predict when players from other teams become available or what free agency looks like down the road.”
That kind of patience matters because the league keeps reminding teams that the unexpected can happen. The Dallas Mavericks sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis last February, a deal few would have seen coming for a player many believed would finish his career in Dallas like Dirk Nowitzki.
Brooklyn also has the financial flexibility to match the draft assets. The Nets could have more than $60 million in cap space next offseason, and they don’t have guaranteed money on the books beyond the 2027-28 season. That gives them a clean runway if another aggressive offseason comes into view.
Of course, the rebuild isn’t only about waiting for a star to shake loose. The young players have to move the process forward, too. Marks added Mikel Brown Jr., Joshua Jefferson and Tyler Bilodeau to a group that already includes the second-year Flatbush Five, and the next step depends on how quickly that talent starts to look like something real.
Egor Dëmin has been the clearest riser so far. He picked up All-Summer League Second Team honors, flashed better downhill scoring and made a stronger case for on-ball reps next season.
The rest of the young group - Nolan Traoré, Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf and Drake Powell - are fighting for backup roles at their positions in training camp. If one of them takes a leap, Brooklyn’s core gets more interesting, and the rebuild gets a sturdier base.
That’s the balance Marks is managing: develop the young talent, keep the books clean and stay ready for the moment a star becomes available. The blueprint for building a contender changes all the time, but one trend is hard to miss - teams keep winning with valuable young players. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are the latest examples, with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren forming part of Oklahoma City’s big three and Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle doing the same in San Antonio.
Brooklyn’s path is still being shaped, but the outline is there. If the young core grows fast enough, Marks can use that momentum to make the kind of blockbuster deal he’s keeping his powder dry for.
In Other News...
Nets Already Face An Early Mikel Brown Jr. Development Concern
Mikel Brown Jr. is already dealing with the kind of early camp hurdle that can slow a rookies momentum, as the Nets guard has been limited by a left ankle sprain. He is still around the action in a limited way, taking part in non-contact work while focusing on conditioning, which at least keeps him engaged as Brooklyn sorts through its early evaluation period.
For a team trying to build habits around a new group, every developmental rep matters, and Brown is not the only young player working through something. Nolan Traore is coming back from knee surgery and working to sharpen his jumper and finishing, while the larger rotation picture also includes Michael Porter Jr. entering a contract year and Julius Randle building trust with Jordi Fernandez. For Brown, the next step is simply getting healthy enough to reclaim the practice time he has already started to miss. [Read more 🡒]
Julius Randle Is Already Sending A Big Message About Brooklyn
The Nets are still living in the shadow of a championship drought that stretches back to their move into the NBA, and the sting of watching a city rival celebrate only sharpened that backdrop. Owner Joe Tsai has already made no secret of his frustration over the Knicks title run, which only adds more intrigue to a Brooklyn roster trying to reframe the conversation heading into the season.
Julius Randle is helping push that shift. The newly acquired forward, who comes over from the Knicks, has sounded confident about Brooklyns ability to contend and has praised the intensity he has seen in training camp. For a team looking to reset expectations, Randles belief in what the Nets can become might matter as much as anything else, especially if Brooklyn is going to turn noise from across the bridge into its own momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Porter Jr. Faces A Bigger Nets Test Than Just Scoring
Michael Porter Jr. became extension-eligible with the Nets in July, but there still has not been any conversation about a new deal. For a Brooklyn team deep in a rebuild, that alone makes his season worth watching, because Porter Jr. is not just another scorer on the roster - he is one of the players whose growth could help define where the franchise is headed next.
Porter Jr. has already acknowledged he needs to improve as a winning player and bring more than offense, which lines up with what Sean Marks has been emphasizing from the front office. Consistency, defense, rebounding and leadership all matter here, and how Porter Jr. handles that challenge alongside Julius Randle will go a long way toward telling the Nets whether this pairing can become part of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]