Most of the heavy lifting around the NBA has already been done, and that leaves Brooklyn in a familiar but still unsettled spot: a roster that looks better than it did, but still feels like it has one more move in it. The Nets added enough this summer to lift the floor, yet the late stages of the offseason still come with real questions about who plays, who stays, and whether Sean Marks is ready to spend some of that flexibility he has protected all summer.
One of the biggest issues is simple roster math. Brooklyn had four of its five 2025 first-round picks on the floor during Summer League, and Egor Dёmin stood out as the best of the group.
He made the All-Summer League Second Team. Beyond him, though, the rest of the young group did not exactly force the issue.
There were even stretches where watching Drake Powell and Ben Saraf was difficult. Add in the fact that rookie Mikel Brown Jr. is likely to take the starting point guard job, plus the free agency additions Brooklyn has already made, and it becomes easy to see how at least one 2025 rookie could wind up with a much smaller role than expected.
Dёmin still looks like a key starter for Brooklyn, and Nolan Traoré flashed enough last season to give himself a real shot at rotation minutes. But Powell, Saraf and Danny Wolf are the names most likely to be fighting for time. The real question is which of them can carve out a role before the bench starts to thin out.
That brings the conversation back to the front office. Marks has spent the offseason talking up flexibility, but Brooklyn is now at the point where cap space and trade assets are supposed to turn into something tangible. There are still names out there that fit the Nets’ timeline and would make them better right away.
Two restricted free agents tied to Brooklyn this summer are Jalen Duren and Peyton Watson.
Duren has the option to bet on himself by taking the Detroit Pistons’ qualifying offer and setting himself up for a bigger payday next summer, since negotiations have stalled. Brooklyn could step in with a sign-and-trade and get the 22-year-old the max contract he wants.
Watson’s situation is different. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Denver Nuggets plan to match offers but are also open to a sign-and-trade. Brooklyn has enough assets and money to push that situation, outbid Denver, and block a return to the Nuggets, since Watson would be less expensive than Duren.
If that route is not available, the Nets could still work out a sign-and-trade for a young forward who just averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game on 49-41-73 shooting splits.
Either player would fit Brooklyn’s timeline and could benefit immediately from a bigger role.
The other layer here involves Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr., and it is not clear whether Brooklyn sees either as a long-term piece, or both. Randle, whom the Nets acquired the night before the 2026 NBA Draft, has a $35.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season. His value has dropped over the years, which could make that option appealing, but it still only locks him in for two more seasons.
Porter is eligible for an extension and could be moved if no agreement comes together. His contract runs through 2027, and he is making $40.8 million this season. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Brooklyn is expected to explore a trade if Porter is not extended.
So the final stretch of the offseason circles back to the same core issue: how much of this roster is built for now, and how much is built to be moved later? If Randle and Porter share the floor, can they coexist as two ball-dominant forwards?
What does that mean for young players like Brown and Dёmin? And if the season goes sideways, will Brooklyn keep those trade talks warm all the way to the deadline?
In Other News...
Nets Offseason Praise Misses The One Question Fans Still Have
Brooklyns 2026 offseason drew plenty of praise for its balance of present-day help and future-minded planning. The Nets brought in Julius Randle, kept DayRon Sharpe and Josh Minott, and rounded out the rotation with additions like Keon Ellis and Moritz Wagner while also leaning into the draft and two-way market. It was the kind of summer that signaled patience as much as ambition, with the front office clearly prioritizing development and financial flexibility over a splashy all-in move.
The bigger question now is whether that approach is enough to satisfy a fan base still waiting for a clearer direction. Brooklyn has added useful pieces and young talent, but the roster still feels built around gradual progress rather than a sudden leap, and that leaves the Nets in a familiar middle ground. The moves made sense on paper, yet the real test will be whether they translate into a team with a defined ceiling instead of just a cleaner cap sheet. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Suddenly Face A Big Michael Porter Jr. Decision
Brooklyns offseason has already been defined by bigger-picture roster questions, and Michael Porter Jr. now sits right in the middle of them. The Nets are trying to sort out how their pieces fit as the core continues to evolve, and Porter is one of the more interesting variables because his place in the long-term plan is not yet settled.
For now, the most sensible path may be patience, with the team using this season to see how Porter meshes alongside Julius Randle and the rest of the group before making any major financial commitment. That approach gives Brooklyn more information, but it also leaves open the possibility that Porter reaches next summer without a new deal in hand, turning a fit evaluation into a much bigger decision. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Could Face A Huge Rebuild Decision At Point Guard
Brooklyn has spent the past two seasons leaning into a clear guard profile, targeting players with size, athleticism and versatility as it tries to build a modern backcourt. Now the conversation may be shifting toward a different kind of lead guard, one whose value comes less from shot-making and more from making everything else easier for the players around him.
With a top draft pick in 2026 potentially in play, the Nets are at least looking at whether a more traditional point guard can help stabilize an offense that has lacked a natural table-setter. The appeal is obvious: a guard who can control tempo, organize possessions and support the growth of the teams young scorers instead of needing the ball for himself, even if that kind of player is harder to weigh in a league that keeps rewarding score-first creators. [Read more 🡒]