The Brooklyn Nets went into Sunday’s 2026 NBA Draft Lottery hoping for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft given that the team would like to make the current rebuild as short as possible. Brooklyn was tied with the Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers for the best odds (14.0%) to get the No. 1 pick, but it looks like the Nets were unlucky in this event once again.
After the conclusion of the initial drawing, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum showed that the Nets were going to have the No. 6 overall pick in June’s draft, which is not what the franchise and fanbase was hoping for. While Brooklyn always knew that they could end up somewhere between the No. 1 pick and the No. 7 pick, getting the No. 6 pick just shows that the teams in need won’t always get the benefit of the Lottery.
To that point, the Wizards had the worst record (17-65) in the league during the 2025-26 season, but they also ended up with the No. 1 pick so they didn’t get unlucky at the very least. What makes this outcome disappointing for the Nets is that this will probably be the last time that they can reasonable rely on the draft to benefit them if they decide to rebuild again.
While the proposal hasn’t been enacted, the NBA’s Board of Governors seem to be in favor of the “3-2-1” measure that will basically benefit the teams that weren’t among the worst, but also weren’t good enough to make it to the postseason. More to the point, the Nets do not have control of their own first-round pick next season as that pick goes to the Houston Rockets so Brooklyn could attempt to go all-in to win next year.
With the No. 6 pick, the Nets will not likely be able to select BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, or North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson, but they will have plenty of guards to choose from. With Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, and Houston guard Kingston Flemings expected to be among the players available around the No. 6 pick, Brooklyn has more work to do.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets get No. 6 overall pick in deep 2026 NBA Draft after Lottery
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
