6. Nets 1st-round pick in 2024
The Brooklyn Nets owe their first-round draft picks outright to the Rockets in 2024 and 2026. How will they perform next season?
Mikal Bridges reaching his ceiling and maximizing the Ben Simmons contract will be headlining deciders. Seth Curry and Yuta Watanabe are the Nets' two unrestricted free agents this summer, and Cameron Johnson will be restricted. Can Brooklyn keep Johnson and figure out a way to replace the shooting if Curry or Watanabe depart?
The Nets figure to be competitive next season, but they could easily end up in the Play-In Tournament and get bounced before reaching the playoffs. Anything can happen in one game, and that would put Brooklyn in the lottery. Whoever owns this pick could get a talented young lottery prospect to add to their core.
The Rockets' own 2024 first-round pick is likely more valuable at this point, but that will head to Oklahoma City unless Houston lands in the top four in next year’s lottery. Brooklyn should be competitive, and they have room to improve if they can add a few more pieces to their roster.
The Nets' future is unclear, but they have a strong veteran group at the moment that is not an easy team to defeat. What will Brooklyn’s roster look like in 2026?