The Brooklyn Nets open the 2026-27 season under head coach Jordi Fernández without the cover of a tanking strategy for the first time in his tenure. After two seasons built around maximizing draft lottery odds, Fernández is now free to coach to win. But the roster he inherits is young, thin in several spots, and lacking the kind of proven talent that let a team like the Indiana Pacers — which reached the NBA Finals before an injury prompted a one-year step back — simply reload.
That reality shapes much of what’s ahead for Brooklyn this year, and two storylines in particular stand out as the Nets try to figure out what kind of team they’re building.
Porter’s Contract Looms Over Everything
The trade that brought Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn, along with Denver’s unprotected 2032 first-round pick, in exchange for Cam Johnson has already paid off for the Nets. Porter led the team in scoring last season and is expected to be a central offensive piece again. But he’s playing on a $40.8 million expiring contract and has not signed an extension since becoming eligible on July 6.
That unresolved status puts Porter squarely in trade speculation territory. If no extension materializes, his name will likely circulate in rumors right up to the Feb. 11 trade deadline. The bigger question for Brooklyn is what it would get back if it moved him — future draft capital and young talent, or would the Nets instead add their own picks to the deal in pursuit of an immediate upgrade?
Rookie Egor Brown Carries High Expectations and Real Risk
Louisville product Brown arrives in Brooklyn after a freshman season that put him in rare statistical company. Last year he became just the third college player since 2008 — joining Steph Curry and Trae Young — to post a 30 percent assist rate, 84 percent free-throw shooting, a 35 percent free-throw rate, and heavy 3-point volume, attempting more than 14 threes per 100 possessions.
That combination of passing instincts, scoring volume, and on-ball creativity has fueled talk of a potential All-Star future. But the path there won’t be smooth. Brown is expected to go through the usual rookie struggles — turnovers, inconsistent shot selection, and learning when to pull back from high-risk passes rather than force the spectacular play. He also enters the season working his way back from an ankle injury that delayed his preseason debut.
Together, Porter’s contract uncertainty and Brown’s development will go a long way toward defining whether Brooklyn’s first season without a tanking mandate in years looks like progress or just another step in a longer rebuild.
