Looking at the Brooklyn Nets Potential Player Extensions

In sports, goals tend to have a cost. The modern NBA is seeing an unreal amount of parity –– with eight different champions in the last eight seasons.

Slowly rebuilding seems to be the best route to becoming a consistently great team. The Brooklyn Nets are trying to employ this strategy by stockpiling draft capital and taking a plethora of chances on young talent.

They can only have the luxury of financial flexibility for so long until extensions have to be made for these young players. Here are the possible and likely extensions over the next three seasons.

2026

The Nets' 2026 offseason has all but wrapped up, with the team currently having about $4.5 million in cap space and the full $9.4 million room exception available. There are still players who are up for extensions, but nothing is likely to happen until we get closer to the trade deadline.

Michael Porter Jr. is the main player undergoing a contract dispute. He's making $40.8 million for the 2026-27 season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. According to a poll done by NetsDaily, most Brooklyn fans would only accept an extension in the $25-$34 million range. If both sides can't work out a deal before the trade deadline, expect a trade to be pursued.

The other extensions available at this second or will be before the calendar flips are Noah Clowney and Terance Mann. Clowney will be a restricted free agent in 2027, and since he hasn't been extended yet, that makes this coming season a prove-it year. Mann will become extension eligible on Oct. 1, but is also under contract for the 2027-28 season, so it wouldn't kick in until after that.

The Nets' 2025 rookie class will be eligible for their 2027-28 club options to be picked up on Oct. 31, but cannot get new contracts.

2027

Next offseason should be much quieter for extension talks. That will likely be when Brooklyn decides if Mann is a part of its long-term future –– if he is still on the team then. Josh Minott and Day'Ron Sharpe will either have their club options picked up, declined or be signed to new contracts.

The players up for team options expand towards both the 2025 and 2026 draft classes. Unless players are traded before then, the Nets will likely pick those up to keep cheap, developing talent in the room.

Clowney will be a restricted free agent this offseason if he doesn't receive an extension during the 2026-27 season. He'll either sign his $16.2 million qualifying offer or work on a new contract with Brooklyn. Two-way players Tyler Bilodeau and Chaney Johnson will also be eligible for qualifying offers, moving to standard contracts or staying as two-ways.

The 2026 offseason acquisitions of Julius Randle, Moritz Wagner and Keon Ellis also have player options for the 2027-28 season. If they don't accept, it's likely that new deals will be worked out with the Nets or elsewhere.

2028

2028 could be the most pivotal offseason of Brooklyn's rebuild. The entire 2025 class will be eligible for their first non-rookie contracts, while Mikel Brown Jr. and Joshua Jefferson will have team options to ponder again.

If players like Egor Dëmin, Nolan Traoré and Danny Wolf can expand upon solid rookie seasons, bigger paydays could be in order.

It's important to note that projecting the Nets' extensions this far out is a tricky task due to uncertainties with upcoming drafts, free agency periods and the trade market. How the salary cap changes will also affect front office decision-making going forward.