Jordi Fernandez gets top billing in rebuild but Nets will need ‘lottery luck’ or a ‘big star’ to accelerate things.
In a new feature, ESPN ranks 11 teams on the road to rebuild based on a number of parameters from draft picks, including tradeable ones, cap space and even players under the age of 25.
The analysis, authored by Tim Bontemps but based on input from a number of insiders, ranks the Brooklyn Nets fourth, their position buoyed by last April’s hiring of Jordi Fernandez as head coach and a wealth of building blocks. But execution, opportunity and of course some luck will likely determine a lot of what happens next.
Bottom line, per Bontemps, is that the team’s surprising success this season may slow things down, but there’s always the possibility of one big move changing the timeline from “a couple of years” to an “immediate” return to the playoffs.
In response to the ultimate question — “estimated return to relevance” — Bontemps writes:
A couple of years, unless the Nets put the pedal to the floor this summer and acquire a star or two via trade. In that case, Brooklyn’s return to the playoffs could be immediate in a conference with plenty of room for another contender.
Like a number of pundits, the ESPN insiders lay out what the Nets possess going forward: the large number of draft picks (31 in all: 15 firsts and 16 seconds) as well as tradeable picks (13) and off-season cap space (an estimated $45 million.) The number of tradeable picks is one higher than RealGM estimated earlier this month while the cap space is a bit less. That number will remain fluid until Sean Marks & co. start making moves. ESPN also points to the number of players under 25 (nine) and number of players on rookie scale contracts (five.)
Then, there’s the strategy:
When the Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the rival New York Knicks for a heap of draft picks, and then sent a few others to the Houston Rockets in exchange for the rights to Brooklyn’s previously traded picks in 2025 and 2026, the plan was clear: Sink to the bottom for two seasons, reap the rewards of two consecutive deep drafts, then try to turn things around. So far, though, the Nets haven’t quite sunk far enough, with the impressive coaching of Jordi Fernandez currently leaving Brooklyn sitting in the middle of the lottery.
And whether it’s working … which is where managerial skill and some luck comes in:
Hiring Fernandez can be seen only as a success for Brooklyn. Coaching, though, can take you only so far in the NBA. The Nets are short on talent, which has been by design. Between all of their draft picks and cap space, the Nets have a lot of options. But for a franchise that hasn’t had a single lottery pick since moving to Brooklyn in 2012, it all starts with some lottery luck in a couple of months.
All that data and analysis leads ESPN to rank Brooklyn behind three other teams: the San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards. The worldwide leader doesn’t add points for the attractiveness of the market, something that could help Brooklyn if a disgruntled superstar decides he wants out of his contract.
Of course, as even Bontemps et al note, there are a lot of caveats to the whole exercise, An editor’s note states: Our rebuild rankings are not based on where rosters stand right now, but rather look at each team’s rebuilding strategy and path to contention. Detroit, for example, is in the midst of its best season in a generation behind All-Star guard Cade Cunningham. But that doesn’t mean the Pistons are better positioned for long-term contention than teams such as the Jazz or the Washington Wizards, two teams fighting for the worst record but with far better avenues to improve.
There are certainly other factors to consider like ownership’s willingness to spend, injuries to key players and whether a team’s scouts and draft night decision-makers get it right. In the meantime, we wait. Just how long remains a mystery.