Which Teams Should Nets Measure Themselves Against Next Season?

The Brooklyn Nets will be looking to make some noise next season, and there will be a few other teams in similar situations.

Across the league, things have changed ahead of the 2026-27 season. The Nets are among the many teams that have made some significant moves in hopes of improving next season, most notably their trade for Julius Randle.

As the Nets attempt to find their way back into the postseason for the first time since 2023, they’ll need to find ways to be better than the other teams in similar situations around the league, especially in the Eastern Conference. Ultimately, the Nets’ season won’t be determined as a success or failure based solely on whether they make it back to the postseason.

Internally, development and chemistry-building may be much more important than the results on the floor, especially in a year where Brooklyn doesn’t control its first-round pick. Still, the Nets have hopes of proving themselves to be better than some of their peers, and a few teams around the league will serve as measuring sticks for Brooklyn.

Perhaps the best type of team for Brooklyn to compare itself to will be another team that’s been in the lottery for a few years but has made some moves as it looks to get back to the postseason. The Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards each fit that description.

While both of those teams are set up better long-term, given that they made up the top 2 picks of the 2026 draft, the Jazz and Wizards will still have their hands full as they look to mesh veteran star talent with a young core. 

Overall, both Utah and Washington have more talent on the roster, but the Nets have a real chance at building chemistry faster, given that most of the core was together last season. Considering both of those teams are likely looking to make their postseason returns, the Nets will have some natural comparisons made to those squads next season.

On the other side of the equation, the Nets are also simply looking to avoid being near the bottom of the league again, so they’ll naturally get compared to teams that don’t necessarily have clear directions for next season, such as the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies.

In any case, the Nets can’t get too caught up in which teams around the league they get compared to, and they must stay focused on their internal goals and their path back to the postseason.