Pre-Draft Outlook
The Nets have some solid players on their roster, but the whole has seemingly been less than the sum of the parts, and they’re 45-65 (11th in the Eastern Conference) over the year-plus since they traded Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. There’s no benefit to taking another step backward, as the Houston Rockets control Brooklyn’s first-round picks for the next four years. There’s also no clear path to taking a big step forward.
The Way to Go
The Nets have no picks in this Draft, but there are other paths to improvement. The first step was hiring first-time coach Jordi Fernandez. They do have the full mid-level exception to use in free agency and some future picks they can trade, but their player with the biggest salary (Ben Simmons) is a negative asset, having played in just 57 total games over the last three years.
— John Schuhmann
Here’s a quick look at Brooklyn’s current roster entering the Draft:
Under Contract
G: Jaylen Martin
G: Dennis Schroder
G: Cam Thomas
G/F: Mikal Bridges
G/F: Ben Simmons
F: Noah Clowney
F: Dorian Finney-Smith
F: Cameron Johnson
F: Jalen Wilson
F: Dariq Whitehead
C: Day’Ron Sharpe
Free Agents
G: Jacob Gilyard
G: Keon Johnson
G: Dennis Smith Jr.
G/F: Lonnie Walker IV
F: Keita Bates-Diop
F: Trendon Watford
C: Nic Claxton
> 2024 Free Agent Tracker