RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesThe Brooklyn Nets have been trying to improve the roster as much as possible this offseason following a 2025-26 NBA season in which they finished with a lowly 20-62 record. Brooklyn did not win the LeBron James sweepstakes as he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free-agency, but it seems that their place with the league's hierarchy is relatively-unchanged following the news.
"The Brooklyn Nets drafted Mikel Brown with the No. 6 pick in this summer's draft. And there will certainly be plenty of time and attention paid to his development. But the rest of the offseason suggests Brooklyn wants to be more competitive than the 20-62 team it was in 2025-26," Andy Bailey wrote of the Nets for Bleacher Report. Brooklyn ranked as the 28th-best team (out of 30), but they actually moved up one spot in the rankings after the James signing.
"Adding Julius Randle (who was essentially salary-dumped to them), Keon Ellis and Mo Wagner are all win-now moves. Re-signing Day'Ron Sharpe, who looks ready to start in place of the recently traded Nicolas Claxton, is too," Bailey continued. "If Michael Porter Jr. can stay healthy and some of the young incumbents (like Egor Demin) show some real improvement, the Nets could easily win 10 more games than they did last season."
Over the course of this offseason, the Nets have made various moves to improve the team. However, the biggest move that the team made was adding forward Julius Randle via a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. While Randle gives Brooklyn another scorer to pair with sharpshooting forward Michael Porter Jr., many around the league still believe that the team has a ways to go before being reasonable contenders for the postseason.
Even if the Nets were to somehow convince James to sign with them, Brooklyn would likely still be in a similar position, but they would have attracted more attention just by the nature of him being one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball. Be that as it may, the Nets missed out on James and now, they are hoping that the rest of the moves will help the team have a better season in 2026-27.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets rank 28th in NBA after LeBron James signs with 76ers
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