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 · 2026 NBA Draft — Barclays Center, Brooklyn
June 23, 2026
1
days to go
Draft-Pick Ledger
as of 2026-06-22- 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 — unprotected
Own · 2nd round
No. 33 overall
LA Clippers · 2nd round⚑
No. 43 — incoming via swap
via Suns/Clippers trade
Atlanta · 2nd round⚑
Unprotected
via prior trade
Miami · 2nd round⚑
Owed to Miami — protected 31–55
via prior trade
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
Verified June 22, 2026 against ESPN asset rankings, SI/OnSI, Fanspo, and NBA.com trade records (RealGM & ProSportsTransactions cross-read). 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. Exact second-round inventory and 2028/2029 swap counts are lower-confidence — verify against RealGM/Spotrac before relying on them.
Cap Sheet · 2026–27
as of 2026-06-22Projected cap space
$33.0M–$41.0M
3rd-most in the NBA · Bobby Marks est. $31.0M
Committed
$131.6M
Room MLE $9.4M · 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 |
| Nic Claxton | $23.1M | Guaranteed | 2 yrs left on a descending 4yr/~$100M deal |
| Terance Mann | $15.5M | Guaranteed | UFA in 2027 |
| Egor Dëmin | $7.2M | Rookie scale | 2025 No. 8; Year 2 guaranteed |
| Day'Ron Sharpe | $6.3M | Team option | Swings cap space |
| Ziaire Williams | $6.3M | Team option | Swings cap space |
| 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 |
| Josh Minott | $2.6M | Team option | |
| Malachi Smith | $2.2M | Non-guaranteed | |
| Ochai Agbaji | — | RFA cap hold | ~$19.15M cap hold until renounced or re-signed — not committed salary |
Cap, tax and apron figures are NBA projections for 2026–27.
Cross-checked June 22, 2026 against HoopsHype, Spotrac, SalarySwish, and ESPN/Bobby Marks. Cap space is scenario-dependent: ~$33–41M of room (3rd-most in the NBA); the $31M headline is Bobby Marks' conservative estimate. League cap/tax/apron figures are NBA projections, not final. Salaries are approximate where noted — verify on Spotrac.
Prospect Watch
as of 2026-06-22Egor 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.
2026 No. 6 pick
TBD2026 Draft (No. 6)
Brooklyn picks sixth on June 23. Heavily linked to Tennessee forward Nate Ament; also worked out Mikel Brown Jr., Darius Acuff Jr. and Karim Lopez. Trade-up rumors exist but a pick at 6 is most likely.
Brooklyn's young core after a historic 2025 draft (the first team ever to make five first-round picks in one draft) plus the incoming 2026 No. 6 pick. Stats are 2025-26 per-game averages via a Basketball-Reference data mirror, cross-checked vs NetsDaily/SI; ages approximate (±1) — verify exact decimals on Basketball-Reference.