Bleacher Report Predicts Nets Will Win Fewer Games in 2025-26 Than Last Season

This summer, the Brooklyn Nets set a new record for the most draft picks made by a single franchise in NBA history. After months of speculation, they finally traded Cam Johnson, reuniting Michael Porter Jr. with Jordi Fernandez in the process. They've stayed disciplined with their cap, opting not only against overpaying Cam Thomas but any free agent in general.

Still, Bleacher Report anticipates the team performing worse than it did in the 2024-25 campaign.

Following the release of the 2025-26 schedule, Bleacher Report projected the final records for every organization in the league. Brooklyn was given an estimated record of 24-58, two games worse than it posted last year.

"It remains to be seen whether Cam Thomas will be back, but that isn't likely to make a huge difference in the win column. The Brooklyn Nets were a little better when he played, but they still had a point differential around that of a 27-win team with him on the floor," Andy Bailey wrote on Thursday.

As of today, there isn't much of a reason to believe Thomas won't be back, and that's not because negotiations have been extremely positive between him and the front office. It's because there's not another team in the league that is presently targeting the 23-year-old. Until otherwise noted, it should be assumed Thomas will be a Net next season.

"Add the uncertainty of his situation to the fact that this is now, essentially, a Michael Porter Jr. team, and it's tough to imagine Brooklyn pushing for a play-in spot," Bailey continued.

It's very hard to imagine the Nets cracking into the play-in, although not impossible. The Eastern Conference is going to be heavily compromised due to injuries that a lower-tier team may find a way to sneak into the postseason. Now, will that be Brooklyn? Doubtful. Yet, it's still a possibility.

"And that's not necessarily a knock on Porter, one of the most dangerous catch-and-shoot three-point threats in the league. He's simply never been the centerpiece of an NBA offense, and his primary playmakers are all rookies," Bailey wrote.

No, Porter has never been the go-to scorer on a team since his collegiate days. However, with Fernandez in the fold as his head coach and three uber-talented facilitators incoming (Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf), Porter could enjoy a breakout season. Those within the organization even believe he could be "close" to a scoring title come the end of next year. What impact that may have on the Nets' record remains to be seen.

Taking all of this into account, a projection of 24 wins does make sense, despite that number ultimately being higher, just as it was last season.