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 some significant moves, such as trading for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, and as a result, they are receiving a positive grade for the moves they made thus far.
“The Brooklyn Nets will almost certainly be more competitive this season. The incentive to tank is basically gone, Julius Randle is an innings-eater who’ll put up good regular-season numbers and his slashing fits well with Michael Porter Jr.’s shooting,” Andy Bailey wrote on the Nets for Bleacher Report. The outlet gave Brooklyn a B+ grade for their offseason moves, including who had to be let go as a result of various moves.
“That and a little development from Egor Demin might even have Brooklyn in the mix for a play-in spot. But the biggest swing player from this summer is undoubtedly incoming rookie Mikel Brown Jr.,” Bailey continued. “If he becomes the kind of volume-scoring combo guard Brooklyn believes he can be, it could have a dynamic, sort of inverted backcourt that gets the points from the point guard-sized player and the assists from the wing-sized one (Demin).”
As Bailey alluded to, the Nets’ biggest move this offseason acquiring Randle, a player who is not too far removed from being named All-NBA and is still coming off a solid season for the Timberwolves. Randle, 31, is coming off a 2025-26 season in which he averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 48.1% from the field and 31.5% from behind the three-point line in 79 games played for Minnesota.
More to the point, Brooklyn brought in three players from the 2026 NBA Draft, headlined by guard Mikel Brown Jr. as he has a chance to be the starting point guard from the beginning of the season if he performs well in training camp. Time will tell if the moves the Nets made will benefit them in terms of wins and losses, but for now, others around the league are recognizing that they have had a productive offseason thus far.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: The Nets receive B+ grade for their NBA offseason heading into August
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
