Nets Must Prioritize Development Despite Latest Veteran Additions

The Brooklyn Nets have an interesting situation next season, and they must find a way to achieve two important goals.

Last season was a disaster for the Nets in just about every way it could have been for the long-term picture. While they were expected to be one of the worst teams in the East, some resurgences throughout the season kept the Nets from earning good lottery odds, with their insistence on playing veteran talent also thwarting some development until the final months of the season.

Going into the 2025-26 season, the Nets again have some solid veteran talent to work with, but they also just added five rookies in the first round of the draft. Although the Nets will surely be near the bottom of the East again, they must find a way to play both sides of their equation.

For Egor Demin and the intriguing rookie class in Brooklyn, it will be instrumental for Jordi Fernandez to give those guys as many opportunities as possible throughout the year. Considering the Nets didn’t take any clear-cut stars in the draft, development will be of the utmost importance for Brooklyn’s young core.

While some teams that are in the midst of a full rebuild with the goal of tanking for a top pick would have no issues placing those guys front and center from opening night to game 82, Brooklyn’s situation is a bit trickier. Sure, plenty of other teams in Brooklyn’s spot have also had veterans, but the Nets’ vets have plenty of value in the trade market, given that they probably wouldn’t be tabbed veterans for most teams.

Despite the clear need to develop the newest young additions, the Nets will have to sacrifice some touches and minutes, at least early in the season, to get guys like Michael Porter Jr. some action to get the best return in a trade next season. Of course, the Nets know that planning for a midseason trade isn’t always the easiest thing, given that they went through a similar situation with Porter’s predecessor, Cam Johnson.

It’s always possible that the Nets see some value in keeping certain experienced players around, with Terance Mann and Haywood Highsmith not really needing the ball to succeed. Of course, it will be just as important for the young players to learn lessons from veterans and have those types of mentors early in their careers.

Still, for Brooklyn’s sake, it’s probably better for the team if those mentors aren’t Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas.