The Brooklyn Nets still have one two-way spot to sort out, and they’re not exactly short on options.
Two of the three slots are already spoken for heading into the 2026-27 season. Chaney Johnson is back after spending last season on a two-way deal, and 2026 second-round pick Tyler Bilodeau has claimed the other.
That leaves one opening, and Brooklyn doesn’t appear in any hurry to lock it down. Training camp is still ahead, so the Nets can keep watching how the competition unfolds.
There’s no shortage of names in the mix, either. With the exception of Nelson, who missed Summer League because of injury, the other candidates had their moments in Las Vegas. Enough, at least, to make this a real decision rather than a formality.
Two players in particular have separated themselves as the most intriguing possibilities: Dain Dainja and Ben Humrichous.
Dainja may be the cleanest fit if Brooklyn is thinking about roster construction. At 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds, he brings the kind of physical interior presence the Nets don’t really have behind their top two centers.
Day'Ron Sharpe is expected to start at center, with Moritz Wagner as the primary backup. After that, the depth chart gets thin.
Danny Wolf could move up and play the five, but he looks better suited to the four next to another big. He also didn’t spend much time at center during his rookie season.
Dainja, meanwhile, flashed in his Summer League minutes and showed the size and force that can make him a useful developmental piece. A two-way deal would let Brooklyn keep him in the system with Long Island while still having him available if frontcourt depth gets tested.
Humrichous offers a very different appeal.
The 6-foot-9 forward can really shoot it, and he proved that during Summer League. Brooklyn already has plenty of players who can handle the ball, but a big wing who can stretch the floor with confidence is always worth a look. His defense still needs work, but if he keeps burying open threes, there’s a clear path for him to become a real NBA option.
Those two aren’t the only possibilities, though.
Scott, Ukomadu, Sallis, Brown, Brennan and Murray all showed enough in Summer League to stay on the board, and Brooklyn could even look beyond the group that played in Las Vegas.
Nelson may still be the name to watch if he’s healthy. The 6-foot-11 forward already has some NBA experience with Brooklyn and impressed during his 10-day contract late last season. That familiarity could matter once camp opens.
For now, the Nets can keep this open-ended. They don’t have to make the call right away, and they could invite several players to camp before letting the competition decide it. But based on what happened this summer, Dainja and Humrichous have made strong cases - and Nelson could have the inside track if he returns ready to go.
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Brooklyns front office has made its preference clear for now, and that leaves one big question hanging over the next phase of the rebuild: how long the Nets are willing to stay in this lane before the urge to accelerate grows stronger. The broader Eastern Conference context only sharpens it, especially with the Knicks still trying to sort out their own supporting cast and the league continuing to mark the passing of former Knicks coach Don Nelson, a reminder of how quickly circumstances can change around a franchise. [Read more 🡒]