Nov 2, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) leads a fast break as Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) pursues during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images John Jones-Imagn Images

When Should Nets Begin Building for Next Season?

Originally posted on Brooklyn Nets on SI | By Ivan White | Last updated Nov 13, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Brooklyn Nets have incentive to tank this season, but they should shift their attention to next season before it’s too late.

After three weeks of the season and 11 games of action, the Nets are still sitting with only one win. Already looking to be in prime position for the 2026 draft lottery, the Nets have seemingly perfected the tank this season.

However, there should come a point in this season where the Nets begin trying to build a team ready to win in 2026-27. That’s because the Nets don’t own their 2027 first-round pick and have no incentive to tank or continue the rebuild.

Assuming Brooklyn can continue on its current trajectory, it might be wise to become a buyer at the deadline, even with likely one of the worst records in the league. By that point, the Nets should have effectively clinched one of the league’s worst record, and it would be wise to get some reps in with any new additions to prepare for next season.

While the Nets shouldn’t go star-hunting, as that will be their goal in the draft, adding some more experienced talent who has shown they can contribute to winning basketball should be the key. With some intriguing young players and big contracts, such as Michael Porter Jr.’s, the Nets might be able to swing some perfect midseason deals to prepare for a leap in 2027.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Of course, there is always the other side of the discussion, where there’s a legitimate case for Brooklyn to simply keep rebuilding. While the Nets will be without a 2027 pick that would be critical to their rebuild under normal circumstances, they will have control of all of their picks after 2027 and will still get the Knicks’ first-round pick that year and the Rockets’ via swap, albeit likely late first-rounders.

Still, the Nets would be able to keep their top pick from 2026 in a low-stakes, development-focused environment without having to worry about how good of a pick they will be sending to the Rockets. After adding a couple of first-round picks (likely in the late first round), the Nets would be able to regroup and go into year three with their 2025 draft class and year two with their top pick in 2026 with a chance to have one more developmental year of the rebuild and land a high pick in 2028.

Plus, if anything goes wrong along the way, the Nets would still be able to fall back on the fact that they control all of their picks in 2028 and beyond. Regardless of which route the Nets choose to take, the next couple of years could get quite interesting in Brooklyn.

This article first appeared on Brooklyn Nets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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