Brooklyn Nets' Pick Situation Doesn't Guarantee Better Results in 2027

The Nets don't have to tank, but that won't necessarily translate to wins.

Oct 16, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Jordi Fernandez in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Brooklyn has been stuck in the midst of tanking for the past few years, but its new situation doesn’t guarantee new results.

The Nets have been among the worst teams in the league since the dismantling of the failed superteam led by Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. In the span since, the Nets have managed to add some solid assets and bring in a plethora of young players.

However, they’ve struggled to find their next franchise cornerstone and have been in the midst of a rebuild in that span. That’s all set to change next season, but it’s not because the Nets are truly ready to compete.

Instead, the trade that landed James Harden in Brooklyn is still being paid off by the Nets, with the Houston Rockets having the right to swap first-round picks next season. Without any control over their 2027 first-round pick, the Nets have shifted their focus to potentially making a postseason run.

With the last postseason basketball in Brooklyn coming in 2023, and the Nets being without a playoff win since 2021, there is some real excitement about what 2027 might look like. With Julius Randle now in town and an exciting young core surrounding, the Nets could be much improved next season.

Of course, it’s always possible that a team that’s been stuck in the lottery for a few years and has yet to find the star to lead the franchise could simply be bad again. Sure, next season’s pick situation means the Nets don’t have any incentive to lose, but that doesn’t guarantee the team will start winning.

Although the main topic of conversation at many different points in recent years has been tanking, it’s important to remember that some teams are just bad. With the new lottery system effectively ending the true bottoming out in the league, the Nets’ path to a postseason bid will be much tougher than it would’ve been just last season.

With a deep Eastern Conference and no team having an incentive to lose big anymore, the Nets might be stuck as a classic bad team in the modern league. After all, making the postseason with a team headlined by Randle, Michael Porter Jr. and players in their first year or two isn’t exactly easy in 2027.

Brooklyn won’t be entering next season with the intention of doing all it can to land a top pick, but a lack of planned losses may not turn into wins.