The differentiator
Rebuild Tracker
The stuff no one else puts in one place: every future draft pick, the cap picture, and the young players who'll decide how this rebuild ages. Curated and updated by hand.
Next up · NBA Free Agency opens
June 30, 2026
—
underway
2026 NBA Draft · Tue, Jun 23
Nets Draft Board
Round 1 · Pick 6
Mikel Brown Jr.
G · Louisville
Floor-spacing lead guard with deep range and elite passing feel — the creator this roster needed. See the full scouting report.
Round 1 · Pick 28
Joshua Jefferson
F · Iowa State
Well-rounded 6'8" forward — 16.4 / 7.4 / 4.8 at Iowa State with strides as a shooter, passer and defender. Drafted by Minnesota, sent to Brooklyn.
Round 2 · Pick 43
Tyler Bilodeau
F · UCLA
Elite movement shooter — led the Big Ten at 46.4% from three (17.6 PPG). A 6'7" stretch four; defense is the swing skill.
Draft-Pick Ledger
as of 2026-08-01- Brooklyn used both 2026 first-rounders on draft night: No. 6 Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) and No. 28 Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State, acquired in the June 22 Julius Randle trade for the No. 33 pick).
- Four UNPROTECTED incoming first-rounders: New York in 2027, 2029 & 2031 (Mikal Bridges trade) and Denver in 2032 (Michael Porter Jr. trade).
- Brooklyn owes NO first-round picks outright — the only first-round downside is the 2027 Houston swap and the 2029 least-favorable swap.
- 2028 is the jackpot: Brooklyn is cited as holding the most picks of any team that year.
2026
Own · 1st round
No. 6 overall — USED → drafted Mikel Brown Jr.
Minnesota · 1st round
No. 28 overall — USED → drafted Joshua Jefferson
via Julius Randle trade (Jun 2026)
Own · 2nd round
No. 33 — traded to Minnesota (Randle deal)
via Julius Randle trade (Jun 2026)
Acquired · 2nd round
No. 43 overall — USED → drafted Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA)
2027
New York · 1st round
Unprotected
via Mikal Bridges trade (2024)
Own · 1st round
Houston holds swap rights
via James Harden trade
LA Lakers · 2nd round⚑
Unprotected
via prior trade
2028
Philadelphia · 1st round
Protected 1–8
via prior trade
Own · 1st round⚑
Unprotected (may carry favorable swap vs NYK/PHX)
Own · 2nd round
Unprotected
Atlanta · 2nd round⚑
Unprotected
via prior trade
Memphis · 2nd round⚑
Unprotected
via prior trade
2029
New York · 1st round
Unprotected
via Mikal Bridges trade (2024)
Own · 1st round⚑
Least-favorable of a HOU/DAL/PHX swap cluster
via Harden/Bridges swaps
2030
Own · 1st round
Own first
2031
New York · 1st round
Unprotected
via Mikal Bridges trade (2024)
Own · 1st round
Own first
2032
Denver · 1st round
Unprotected
via Michael Porter Jr. trade (Jul 2025)
Own · 1st round⚑
Own first
Re-verified August 1, 2026 — no pick trades since the June draft (ESPN transaction log + RealGM/Fanspo), so the ledger below is unchanged from its June 24 build. Verified June 24, 2026 (day after Round 1) against ESPN asset rankings, SI/OnSI, Fanspo, and NBA.com trade records (RealGM & ProSportsTransactions cross-read). Both 2026 first-rounders have now been used (No. 6 Mikel Brown Jr., No. 28 Joshua Jefferson). High-confidence: the four unprotected incoming firsts, the 2027 Houston swap exposure, the 2028 Philadelphia top-8 pick, and that Brooklyn owes no firsts outright. On 2026 seconds: the No. 33 pick went to Minnesota in the Randle deal, and Brooklyn used its remaining 2026 second-rounder (No. 43) on UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau; earlier-listed 2026 Atlanta/Miami second-rounders were removed as unverified. Exact second-round inventory and 2028/2029 swap counts remain lower-confidence — verify against RealGM/Spotrac before relying on them.
Cap Sheet · 2026–27
as of 2026-07-27Space under cap
$4.7M
Roster full (15) · room spent · Room MLE $9.4M if a spot opens
Committed
$160.3M
of $165.0M cap · no dead money
2nd-round picks
~21
cap-absorption ammo
Salary cap
$165.0M
Luxury tax
$201.0M
First apron
$209.0M
Second apron
$222.0M
| Player | 2026-27 | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Porter Jr. | $40.8M | Guaranteed | Final year; UFA in 2027; extension-eligible (~4yr/$234M) after the 2026 Finals |
| Julius Randle | $33.3M | Guaranteed | Acquired Jun 22, 2026 (Claxton trade). 3yr/$100M deal; $35.8M player option for 2027-28. 2025-26: 21.1/6.7/5.0, 58.5% TS |
| Terance Mann | $15.5M | Guaranteed | UFA in 2027 |
| Mikel Brown Jr. | $8.8M | Rookie scale | 2026 No. 6; signed 4yr/$39.9M ($18.0M guaranteed, Y3/Y4 team options). Y1 cap hit shown. |
| Egor Dëmin | $7.2M | Rookie scale | 2025 No. 8; Year 2 guaranteed |
| Day'Ron Sharpe | $10.0M | Re-signed | Re-signed Jun 2026 on a 2-yr, $20M deal (NetsDaily / Scotto); ~$10M AAV shown. |
| Ziaire Williams | — | Declined — UFA | Option declined Jun 28; now an unrestricted FA (Lakers also linked). His $6.25M is off the books. |
| Noah Clowney | $5.4M | Team option | Reportedly exercised; extension-eligible Jul 2026 |
| Nolan Traoré | $4.0M | Rookie scale | 2025 No. 19; Year 2 |
| Drake Powell | $3.5M | Rookie scale | 2025 No. 22; Year 2 |
| Ben Saraf | $3.0M | Rookie scale | 2025 No. 26; Year 2 |
| Danny Wolf | $2.9M | Rookie scale | 2025 No. 27; Year 2 |
| Joshua Jefferson | $3.0M | Rookie scale | 2026 No. 28; acquired in the Randle trade, signed once the deal became official (Jul 10). Y1 cap hit shown. |
| Josh Minott | $4.5M | Re-signed | Re-signed Jun 2026 on a 2-yr, $9M deal (NetsDaily / Scotto); ~$4.5M AAV shown. |
| Malachi Smith | — | Waived — Jul 10 | Option exercised Jun 29, then waived Jul 10 to open a roster spot for Randle + Jefferson. His $2.15M was fully non-guaranteed, so no dead money — it comes off the books. |
| Keon Ellis | $9.0M | Signed (FA) | Signed Jun 30 on a 2-yr, $18M guaranteed deal (Shams/ESPN); ~$9M AAV shown. Brooklyn's first outside FA add. |
| Moe Wagner | $9.3M | Signed (FA) | Signed Jul 1 on a 2-yr, $19M fully guaranteed deal, Y2 mutual option (Scotto/HoopsHype); actual $9.27M Y1 cap hit shown (per Fanspo/Spotrac). New backup center. |
| Ochai Agbaji | — | Non-tendered — UFA | Brooklyn declined his qualifying offer Jun 29 (Scotto/HoopsHype), making him a UFA and renouncing his ~$19.15M cap hold — a real boost to usable room. Averaged 6.7 ppg in 20 games as a Net. |
Cap, tax and apron figures are NBA projections for 2026–27.
Where the 2026–27 money goes · top cap hits
Michael Porter Jr.
Guaranteed
Julius Randle
Guaranteed
Terance Mann
Guaranteed
Day'Ron Sharpe
Re-signed
Moe Wagner
Signed (FA)
Keon Ellis
Signed (FA)
Mikel Brown Jr.
Rookie scale
Egor Dëmin
Rookie scale
Noah Clowney
Team option
Josh Minott
Re-signed
As of late July (re-verified Jul 27 against ESPN's transaction log — no moves since Jul 10 — and the Fanspo/Spotrac cap tables), Brooklyn's offseason business is done: a full 15-man standard roster at ~$160.3M, roughly $4.7M under the $165M cap. The summer room went to two outside adds — Keon Ellis (2yr/$18M; Shams/ESPN) and Moe Wagner (2yr/$19M, Y2 mutual option; Scotto/HoopsHype) — plus re-signings of Day'Ron Sharpe (2yr/$20M) and Josh Minott (2yr/$9M). The June 22 Julius Randle–for–Nic Claxton trade became official July 10, adding No. 28 pick Joshua Jefferson; both 2026 first-rounders are now signed (Mikel Brown Jr. at No. 6 and Jefferson). To fit everyone Brooklyn waived Malachi Smith (fully non-guaranteed — no dead money), declined Ziaire Williams' option, and non-tendered Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson, renouncing Agbaji's ~$19.15M cap hold. No. 43 Tyler Bilodeau and Chaney Johnson are on two-ways (off-cap). There are NO open standard roster spots left; the ~$9.4M Room MLE is the main tool remaining and would require opening a spot to use. The pre-signing outlook — Spotrac's Keith Smith and ESPN's Bobby Marks had the Nets among the league's top cap-space teams at ~$40–47M — is now spent. League cap ($165M) per ESPN; tax/apron are NBA projections. Verify on Spotrac.
Prospect Watch
as of 2026-06-24Egor Dëmin
G/F · 202025 Draft (No. 8)
6'8" lead guard and dazzling passer (BYU via Russia). The headliner of the class — a 38.5% three-point rate on real volume was the most encouraging rookie sign.
Nolan Traoré
G · 202025 Draft (No. 19)
Speedy French point guard who earned 31 starts as a rookie. Efficiency needs to climb, but 3.8 assists at age 20 is a real foundation.
Danny Wolf
F/C · 212025 Draft (No. 27)
Michigan 'point-center' — handle, passing and touch for a big. Arguably the most productive of the five rookies by counting stats.
Drake Powell
G/F · 202025 Draft (No. 22, via Atlanta)
UNC wing acquired in the draft-night trade that also landed Terance Mann. Defense-first 3-and-D project; the jumper (~28% 3P) is the swing skill.
Ben Saraf
G · 202025 Draft (No. 26)
Crafty Israeli pick-and-roll creator with size. Struggled badly as an early-season starter (~21% from three); the broken jumper is the glaring concern.
Noah Clowney
F · 212023 Draft (No. 21)
Stretch four and the second-leading returning scorer. His 2026-27 team option is picked up; an extension is the looming question. Floor-spacing is the swing skill.
Ziaire Williams
F · 242024 trade (Memphis)
Wing scorer/connector who re-signed on a 2yr/~$12M deal and reached double-digit scoring as a rotation regular.
Day'Ron Sharpe
C · 242021 Draft (No. 29)
Energetic backup big on a fresh 2yr/~$12.5M deal — strong rebounding and 60% finishing in limited minutes.
Mikel Brown Jr.
G · 202026 Draft (No. 6)
The No. 6 overall pick. A 6'3.5" lead guard from Louisville with rare shooting range and elite passing feel — the on-ball creator the roster lacked. College line below; full scouting report on the Scouting page.
Full scouting report →Joshua Jefferson
F · 222026 Draft (No. 28)
The No. 28 pick (via the Randle trade). A well-rounded 6'8" forward from Iowa State who made real strides as a shooter, passer and defender. College line below.
Full scouting report →Tyler Bilodeau
F · 222026 Draft (No. 43)
The No. 43 pick — an elite movement shooter from UCLA who led the Big Ten at 46.4% from three. A 6'7" stretch four; college line below.
Full scouting report →Young core · 2025-26 scoring (points per game)
Mikel Brown Jr.
G
Tyler Bilodeau
F
Joshua Jefferson
F
Noah Clowney
F
Egor Dëmin
G/F
Ziaire Williams
F
Danny Wolf
F/C
Nolan Traoré
G
Day'Ron Sharpe
C
Drake Powell
G/F
Ben Saraf
G
Brooklyn's young core after a historic 2025 draft (the first team ever to make five first-round picks in one draft) plus the 2026 draft class: Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 6), Joshua Jefferson (No. 28), and Tyler Bilodeau (No. 43). Returning players' stats are 2025-26 NBA per-game averages via a Basketball-Reference data mirror; the three 2026 draftees' lines are their 2025-26 college averages. Ages approximate (±1) — verify exact decimals on Basketball-Reference.