Nets Receive Surprising Front Office Ranking Amid NBA Offseason

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks has had a rollercoaster tenure with the franchise since joining in 2016. He came at a time when the Nets had the worst situation of any team in the NBA: no draft picks without a contending roster. Brooklyn was in no man's land, but a lot has happened in the following nine years.

The Nets have gone through periods of title contention, mediocrity, and lottery contention since then. Marks was able to form the trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. While that experiment failed, and it followed with some weird middle-of-the-pack seasons, Brooklyn still has one of the best futures of any team in the league as the 2025 offseason carries on.

CBS Sports' Sam Quinn recently released his NBA front office rankings, which show a major shift from his last list in February. The Nets, who previously ranked an impressive 12th in the league, have dropped, but not as far as you'd think. Brooklyn is still toward the middle of the league, ranking 17th.

"Brooklyn is getting too much flak for this offseason," Quinn wrote. "Yes, the Nets became the first team ever to make five first-round picks in a single draft, but they're tanking. Isn't that exactly the sort of team that should be devoting one-third of their roster to rookies? The Nuggets were widely praised for the Cam Johnson trade, but it's just as much of a win for the Nets.

"Denver's 2032 first-round pick is one of the most valuable outstanding selections in all of basketball, and as bad as Michael Porter Jr.'s contract was in Denver's specific context, it's actually a pretty useful trade chip for the Nets, specifically. Only $12 million of it is guaranteed for the 2026-27 season."

Credit has to be given to Marks and the front office for giving the Nets a real foundation for the future. Brooklyn could end up with eight first-round picks from 2026 to 2030, plus an immense amount of cap space at the moment. The Porter trade increased Brooklyn's payroll, but the team still has money to sign a marquee free agent in the future, should he become available.

Ultimately, the future is bright in Brooklyn. The Nets may not be competitive at the moment, but Marks is setting this team up for success down the line.