The Brooklyn Nets are receiving mixed reviews for their quiet offseason. Without control of their 2027 first-round pick after two tanking seasons, many expected the rebuilding squad to get aggressive this summer. General Manager Sean Marks took a more patient approach.

After drafting Mikel Brown Jr. and Joshua Jefferson in the first round of June's draft, the Nets traded for Julius Randle and signed Moe Wagner and Keon Ellis to two-year deals. They sent Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls as part of the Randle trade. Meanwhile, they resigned Day'Ron Sharpe and Josh Minott to two-year deals while letting Ziaire Williams walk in free agency.

ESPN gave Brooklyn a B- grade for its offseason.

“The Nets mostly used their cap space on small-scale contracts: Josh Minott, Keon Ellis, Moritz Wagner and Day'Ron Sharpe — the last of those quietly one of the best deals of the offseason,” Zach Kram wrote. “Their largest outlay came from trading Nic Claxton in a deal that brought back former All-NBA forward Julius Randle, which should improve the team next season — because of Randle's availability and floor-raising talent — but doesn't do much to aid the Nets' murky longer-term outlook. Brooklyn doesn't control its 2027 first-round pick, with Houston holding swap rights.”

The Nets undoubtedly improved their roster with their offseason moves.

Nets play waiting game during 2026 offseason as rebuild moves forward

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks court side prior to the game against the Utah Jazz at Barclays Center.
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Randle adds a proven on-ball creator to pair with shooters Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Demin. The 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 22.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists on .459/.341/.785 shooting splits over the last six seasons. His shot creation should take considerable pressure off young guards such as Demin and Brown.

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However, the soon-to-be-32-year-old is unlikely to factor into Brooklyn's long-term plans. Ellis and Wagner could emerge as solid depth pieces but won't move the needle on the team's outlook. The Nets also failed to acquire any future assets using their cap space.

CBS Sports' Sam Quinn had a more pessimistic view of the Nets' offseason, giving them a D- grade.

“The Julius Randle addition makes no sense. They don't control their first-round pick, so there's no need to add a floor-raiser who is about to turn 32,” Quinn wrote. “They already have Michael Porter Jr. at power forward, and he has neither been traded nor extended. Resolution there would be nice. These mutual options they gave to Keon Ellis and Mo Wagner are unnecessarily burdensome. They had the cap space to just pay either of them more for a second-year guarantee or perhaps even a team option. They entered this offseason with max cap space and didn't manage to use it to meaningfully improve their long-term fortunes in any way. ”

A resolution to Porter's contract negotiations could change how the Nets' offseason is viewed. The 6-foot-10 sharpshooter is coming off a career-best season during which he averaged 24.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists on .463/.363/.859 shooting splits.

Yet Brooklyn has yet to agree to a contract extension with the 28-year-old, who is entering the final year of his contract at $40.8 million. The Nets will likely field trade offers for Porter at the deadline if they can't reach an extension agreement in the coming months.

Brooklyn has the NBA's second-lowest over/under win total (24.5) for 2026-27, trailing only the Sacramento Kings (20.5), per FanDuel Sportsbook. Randle and co. will open training camp on Sept. 29 at HSS Training Center.