Brooklyn Nets Land Disappointing Offseason Grade From ESPN

The Brooklyn Nets have undergone major changes this offseason, revamping a good chunk of their roster to align with their rebuild. While they weren't expected to make any improvements, per se, the Nets have attempted to set themselves up for the future in their summer moves.

Brooklyn started the offseason by drafting a league-record five first-round picks, a class that generally has not been praised by the media. On top of this, the organization traded Cam Johnson for Michael Porter Jr., a major move that also brought back a future first-round pick. In terms of free agency, a major concern is star guard Cam Thomas, who remains unsigned at the moment.

The questions surrounding Brooklyn's roster and future are reflected in its offseason grade from ESPN's Kevin Pelton. The Nets were given a C- grade, with the draft being the biggest reason for it.

"Given the Nets' commanding position as the only team with more than $30 million in cap space this summer, their return has been underwhelming," Pelton wrote. "Brooklyn did net a 2032 unprotected first-rounder from Denver and can hope to rehabilitate Michael Porter Jr.'s value.

"The Nets also landed the No. 22 pick with Terance Mann prior to the draft, but keeping all five first-round picks and using them largely on players whose games don't seem complementary was confusing. Brooklyn still can create $20-plus million in cap space, and we'll see whether additional deals materialize before training camp."

It's certainly tough to justify Brooklyn's class as a whole. All five players lack the ability to command the scoring department, with four of the picks generally being playmakers. While rookies like Egor Demin and Danny Wolf had some impressive NBA Summer League performances, that's never been a clear-cut indicator of the regular season.

Head coach Jordi Fernandez will focus on developing the young core, among other challenges. While the offseason grade reflects the concerns in Brooklyn's roster, the one thing this franchise has is time. The Nets don't have to make a leap to contention any time soon with their immense amount of salary cap space and draft capital.