The Brooklyn Nets came into the 2026 NBA offseason with the goal of improving the roster as much as possible following a 2025-26 season in which they finished with a lowly 20-62 record. Brooklyn made multiple moves this summer, headlined by trading for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, and as a result, they are regarded as one of the teams that should improve year-over-year.
"The Brooklyn Nets have no incentive to lose this season, as the Houston Rockets own the right to swap their 2027 first-round pick for Brooklyn's," Greg Swartz wrote on the Nets for Bleacher Report. In the outlet's article, the goal was to evaluate each of the 30 NBA teams to see which ones should have a better record compared to last season and Brooklyn looks like it's heading in the right direction.
"Plugging in Julius Randle at power forward gives the Nets a pair of big-time scorers along with Michael Porter Jr., and the five first-round picks from 2025 will have an offseason of development," Swartz continued. "Brown should start right away and is the best prospect this team has had to build around in years. There's actually some depth here with the signings of Wagner and Ellis as well."
To put into context how much the Nets struggled last season, they not only finished the season with the third-worst record, but also had had difficulty performing on both ends of the floor. Brooklyn ranked last in the league in offensive rating (30th out of 30), 26th in defensive rating, and 25th in pace while fielding one of the youngest rosters in the Association.
Now that veterans like Randle, Keon Ellis, and Mo Wagner have been added to the roster, head coach Jordi Fernandez should have more to work with while also developing young players like Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. The Eastern Conference has only gotten better during this offseason so time will tell how much better the Nets will be, but there are some who believe in their improvement.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets projected to be better next season after Julius Randle trade
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