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Apr 3, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez speaks to his players at a break in the action during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Brooklyn Nets' 2025-26 Success Won't be Measured in Wins and Losses

Originally posted on Brooklyn Nets on SI | By Ivan White | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Brooklyn Nets are set for another season of the rebuild, but they have to remain focused.

Over the past decade and change, the Nets have made some shortsighted moves. Now, with a rebuild underway, Sean Marks and company have seemingly settled on a long-term plan.

While the Nets have continued to pop up in rumors surrounding just about every star who might be available, they’ve yet to pull the trigger on anything major. Considering how far ahead of the Nets some of the league’s top teams are, Brooklyn needs to remember that next season is a planned lost cause, even if it has promising moments.

In a recent Bleacher Report article grading every team’s title chances, Greg Swartz handed the Nets an F grade. Considering the Nets are in the midst of a rebuild, the grade isn’t surprising, but Brooklyn’s willingness to accept that grade for next season is certainly a question mark.

As Swartz made clear in the article, there is simply not a scenario where the Nets should consider wavering from their rebuild path, at least in terms of next season’s plan. Maybe the Nets feel confident in some Giannis Antetokounmpo deal getting done in the summer of 2026 and want to start building for that around the deadline next season.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Sure, that could be something to go for, but making a deal for Antetokounmpo now or the Nets talking themselves into an All-Star-caliber season from Cam Thomas would be a horrible decision. “No. No. No. Just no,” as Swartz said to those two specific scenarios that he laid out.

In the big picture, the Nets obviously need to see this rebuild out and find a star that they can grow, and perhaps they already found that in their 2025 draft class. However, the general assumption is that none of Brooklyn’s picks will turn into franchise players, even if some pan out to become key pieces moving forward.

That means the team needs to continue a tank, particularly into next season. Considering the Nets don’t have their pick in 2027, remaining focused on the main goal in 2026 is more critical to Brooklyn than perhaps any other team in the tanking wars next year.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Process over results is a formula that will bode well for Brooklyn anyway, but it’s something Marks and Jordi Fernandez might need to take to the extreme next season. Although shutting down healthy 20-somethings like Michael Porter Jr. would be a step too far, there’s no reason to spend the season getting caught up in “ethical tanking.” That’s a problem for the league to worry about; the Nets should be worried about, well, the Nets.

After maybe spending too much of last season teetering between tanking and taking a shot at the play-in, the Nets can’t afford to do that next season. Even if the team is 7-7 out of the gates and the young players are progressing well.

Forgetting that the season is 82 games cost the Nets dearly last season, ending up outside of the bottom five in the standings and significantly hurting any hopes of a top pick. The NBA season is long, and there will be ups and downs, but the Nets can’t act drastically on any good stretches and potentially crash the rebuild.

This article first appeared on Brooklyn Nets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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