The Brooklyn Nets are heading into the 2026-27 season still very much in rebuild mode, and not everyone around the league is buying into the upside just yet.
Bleacher Report’s future power rankings put Brooklyn 28th among all 30 NBA teams three years from now, even with forward Julius Randle added this summer. Grant Hughes painted a pretty stark picture of where the roster stands, writing, "The Brooklyn Nets ' roster might be the least threatening in the league, though that could change if they use Michael Porter Jr.'s expiring salary to bring back a player who could take on a first-option role beyond this season,"
Hughes also pointed to the young core that’s supposed to carry the franchise forward, but said the ceiling is still far off. "The other top talents, led by second-year guard Egor Demin and rookie Mikel Brown Jr., are a long way from stardom," Hughes continued.
"Jordi Fernandez is a good coach who gets whatever talent he has to play hard, and the Nets don't have a bad contract on the books. They've had Fernandez and flexibility before, though, and the losses keep piling up."
That skepticism lines up with how Brooklyn is being viewed going into next season. The Nets are projected to be one of the worst teams in the league, and the roster still looks like one that needs more pieces before it can seriously threaten for the playoffs.
Randle and Michael Porter Jr. give Brooklyn a pair of veteran names, but it remains fair to question how much that duo can swing the win column with so many inexperienced players around them. The projected starting group is expected to feature Brown Jr., Demin and center Day'Ron Sharpe, who is slated to start at center for the first time as he enters his sixth NBA season.
For now, the Nets are left with the same basic storyline: Jordi Fernandez will try to squeeze everything he can out of a young roster, but plenty of people around the league still think Brooklyn is a few moves away.
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Long Island Nets Open A Path Brooklyn Fans Should Keep An Eye On
The Long Island Nets are once again giving local hoopers a real avenue into the pro game, with their 2026 local player tryout set for Sept. 13 at Long Island Universitys Post Campus. The event includes two sessions and a registration fee, but for players from the area, it is more than just an open gym. It is a legitimate chance to get noticed and potentially land a spot on the training camp roster.
Brooklyn fans have reasons to watch the process closely, because this program has already produced real opportunities for players like Jordan Minor, Terry Roberts and Craig Randall II. The G League route does not guarantee a breakthrough, but it has become one of the cleaner paths for overlooked talent to get into an organizations orbit, and the Long Island setup keeps that door open for one more group of hopefuls this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Rebuild Just Put One Roster Debate Front And Center
The Nets offseason additions have put a familiar rebuilding issue back in focus: how much value Brooklyn wants to place on proven veterans while it tries to shape a longer-term identity. Julius Randle, Keon Ellis and Moe Wagner all bring different kinds of experience, and the front office is clearly leaning into a roster that can help stabilize a young group. For a team still in the middle of sorting out its direction, the question is less about talent than about fit, tone and how quickly the new pieces can mesh.
Coach Jordi Fernndez and Egor Dmin have both stressed character and culture as central parts of the process, which makes the early roster discussion feel bigger than just depth chart maneuvering. Michael Porter Jr. is also expected to stay in place at least until the trade deadline, giving Brooklyn a real shooting threat while the bigger questions around the roster continue to simmer. The Nets have added names that can help now, but the real debate is how they balance those short-term upgrades against the shape of the rebuild itself. [Read more 🡒]
Chaney Johnson Just Raised The Stakes For Brooklyns Young Core
Chaney Johnson is already looking past the usual summer noise and straight toward the 2026-27 season, when he wants to be in the mix for real NBA minutes and a standard contract. For a Nets team that spent the offseason trying to sharpen its offense by bringing in Julius Randle, Johnsons message adds another layer to a young core that has been asked to grow up quickly, and to do so while the outside projections still point toward another rough year.
Johnson didnt sound interested in waiting his turn or lowering the bar for himself. He talked about being ready and determined, and he pointed to the progress he has seen from teammates as Brooklyn tries to win more games, which is exactly the kind of internal push this roster needs if it is going to turn development into something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]