Do Brooklyn Nets Have Path to Postseason in Deep Eastern Conference?

The Nets have no incentive to tank and have made some moves this offseason, but will it be enough to crack the East's top 10?

Dec 1, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) reacts with guard Egor Demin (8) during the fourth quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Brooklyn Nets won’t be tanking next season, and they might just have a real path to the postseason.

After an interesting few weeks to start the offseason, the Nets’ roster for next season appears to be largely set. While the Nets have plenty of flexibility to work with, it seems unlikely for them to make any significant moves between now and October.

With the Nets’ 2027 first-round pick controlled by the Houston Rockets via a pick swap from the 2021 James Harden trade, Brooklyn will be trying to win next season for the first time since 2023. Of course, the goal for any team that is trying to win is to at least make it to the postseason.

In most seasons, the Eastern Conference has some rough teams toward the bottom of the postseason picture. And while that may continue next season in terms of comparison to the top of the conference, the East has plenty of depth going into the 2026-27 campaign.

With the new lottery format punishing teams that finish with one of the three worst records in the league, the goal for tanking teams is no longer to bottom out. That leaves all 15 teams in the conference looking to be legitimately competitive next season.

Although teams like the Chicago Bulls or Washington Wizards might bow out of the play-in race to secure the best odds at a top pick late in the year, the East should be filled with teams looking to compete and gain postseason experience. With the Nets simply another piece of that puzzle, getting to the postseason will mean that they have to prove themselves to be better than at least five teams in the conference.

Adding Julius Randle, Mikel Brown Jr. and others certainly helps Brooklyn’s cause, but going from 20 wins to finishing above at least two of last season’s postseason teams and the Tyrese Haliburton-led Indiana Pacers will be a challenge. That doesn’t even factor in that Randle, Michael Porter Jr. and company would also need to finish ahead of the other East teams that have all made significant moves this offseason.

With so many young players on the roster, from Brown to Egor Demin and the rest of the 2025 draft class, the Nets will be looking to prioritize development as well. Still, given what Jordi Fernandez has shown in his two years at the helm, free rein to compete and try to win for all 82 games could lead to the Nets being the NBA’s surprise team of 2027.