How Brooklyn Nets Core Trio Can Elevate Their Game in 2025-26

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green. Most of the best dynasties in the history of the NBA are built with a core trio as the backbone. And the Brooklyn Nets are trying to find their core trio at the moment.

The current roster is young, with numerous options to join the core trio. ESPN took a stab at guessing the Nets' core trio of players when they put all 30 NBA teams' core trios into ten different tiers. They put the Nets in tier 10, the bottom tier labeled "Rebuilding".

The Nets join the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards in that tier, with ESPN selecting Nic Claxton, Egor Demin, and Nolan Traore as Brooklyn's core trio.

"If you need any hint to the direction of the Nets, look no further than June's NBA draft, when Brooklyn had five first-round picks -- and kept all of them, drafting Demin, Traore, guards Drake Powell and Ben Saraf, and big man Danny Wolf... Claxton remains a core member because he's on a long-term deal and, given he's in his mid-20s, should still be able to rediscover his prior form."Tim Bontemps, ESPN

ESPN picking two rookies as part of the Nets' core trio shows just how important this incoming rookie class is to the future of the franchise. Whether it's Demin and Traore hitting, or Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, or Dany Wolf emerging, the Nets need at least two of those five first-round picks to develop into a core piece of the future.

While it's unfair to have super high expectations for any of them as rookies, it is fair to expect to see some high upside flashes from some of them. A game here, a performance there that shows the Nets made the right choices in the 2025 NBA Draft. By the end of this season, Brooklyn should have an idea of where to take the roster to build around the rookies who show those flashes.

Joining the two rookies in ESPN's core trio is Claxton, who's entering his seventh season in Brooklyn and the second year of his four-year $100 million extension he signed last summer. At his best, the 26-year-old is an elite two-way big, showing both offensive and defensive prowess. You can pencil him in for around 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game. His game fits well with Demin and Traore.

The upside is immense with this core trio, as Demin and Traore are complete unknowns at the moment. But it could also flame out quickly if those two don't develop. This season will be pivotal for the future plans of the franchise, and this core trio will need to be at the center of it.