Not sure if you heard, but the Brooklyn Nets fell to the sixth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. If you want to hear the longest F-bomb in the history of Locked on Nets, hosted by Erik Slater, here’s Sunday’s episode, where Slater and I talked and groaned through the latest Brooklyn Nets disappointment…
Terance Mann provided a more SFW reaction on social media…
The two-year tank is over. The Houston Rockets have swap rights with the Brooklyn Nets next season, though given the ultra-flattened
odds set to come into effect, there is a world where both the Nets and Rockets miss the playoffs, and Brooklyn gets a decent pick anyway. But GM Sean Marks can’t bank on that, and besides, it’s a bit too early to think about the 2027 NBA Draft Lottery; the Nets have all but sworn to improve next season after winning just 46 games over the past two seasons.
Luckily, they have Head Coach Jordi Fernández, who, despite the record, seems to be pretty good. After that, it’s bleak. Michael Porter Jr., with one more year on his contract, is up for an extension likely in the $40 million range. Nic Claxton, with two years left on his $22 million AAV deal, has likely regressed into negative-value territory, though perhaps there are some executives around the NBA who don’t watch enough of the Nets to know that yet. Day’Ron Sharpe is a pretty good backup center, especially with a $6 million team option next season. Egor Dëmin had a nice rookie season all things considered, though he has much work to do to become a valuable playoff contributor. The other rookies are much, much further away. Josh Minott seems like a real player. Ziaire Williams might be too. We’ll see about Noah Clowney.
Barring some splashy summer moves, that’s about it. So who can the Nets add with the #6 overall pick in June? Who can we get excited about? (Let’s assume that Dybantsa/Boozer/Peterson/Wilson go with the first four picks, in some order.)
Kingston Flemings
I think you’ll hear this name a lot leading up to the NBA Draft. Flemings, a 19-year-old guard who had an incredibly productive freshman season for the University of Houston, had been linked to the Nets throughout the season — perhaps there’s already some mutual interest between the two sides. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports mocked him to the Nets following the lottery drawing…
The quick sell is simple: Flemings defends, he drives the ball, and his 2.9 assist:turnover ratio could indicate some real playmaking ability. And for a guy whose shot was questioned, well, 38.7% from deep on six attempts per 100 ain’t bad, nor is 84.5% from the line and 44% on long twos. At 6’4”, can he play with enough force to finish inside consistently? Does his outside jumper have room to grow?
These are the questions, but given his strengths — not to mention a lauded work ethic and disposition —it’s easy to see the Nets taking a chance on him at #6.
Darius Acuff Jr.
He’s probably going to be there at #6. Maybe the Chicago Bulls take him at #4 ahead of Caleb Wilson, and it’s also possible the Los Angeles Clippers take the SEC Player of the Year at #5 despite already rostering another small guard in Darius Garland.
But it feels like this 19-year-old and the Nets are going to hear a lot about each other in the coming months. Listed 6’3”, Acuff is a polarizing prospect, not because of his height but in part because of his frame. He is quite skinny — shifty but not overly explosive — and he is the betting favorite to be the worst defender in the NBA next season. He rarely rebounded, stole, or deflected the ball in college. It’s not easy for any young guard in the league, but Acuff’s defensive effort at Arkansas was consistently under the microscope, not to mention the frame.
Now that that’s out of the way, good God can he play offense. He was at the absolute center of John Calipari’s offense, handling a ton of pick-and-roll, and shot 60% at the rim, 40% from the midrange, 44% from deep, and had 3x as many assists as turnovers. Again, he won SEC Player of the Year and the SEC Tournament’s MVP. The arguments about what it means to be a small guard in the NBA won’t be fun, but his highlights…that’s another story.
Keaton Wagler
The Illinois guard could certainly get picked by the Clips at #5, but we have another offense-first guard (get used to it) in the mix. ESPN and The Athletic each have the 19-year-old as the #5 overall prospect, as the 6’7” 19-year-old can theoretically play at either guard spot and bring valuable shooting + passing skills to the table. He and Egor Dëmin would comprise the NBA’s least explosive backcourt next season, but some of Wagler’s highlights are just nutty…
Worried that he’s not blowing by people? Fair. But the frame might help him survive; sounds a little bit like a certain Russian ballplayer I know.
Mikel Brown Jr.
Mikel Brown Jr. is already 20 years old and played just 21 games for Louisville in his lone NCAA season, dealing with a lower back injury. You want the sell? Just check out his 45-point night against NC State…
Like Acuff Jr., Brown’s not gonna provide much defensive or rebounding value; he’s going to have to be an overwhelming offensive threat … which he might be.
He rarely got to the rim this season, and didn’t finish well when he got there, and he only shot 34.4% from deep. But Brown shot a million of ‘em, largely off the dribble, shot well on midrange jumpers, and dropped some high-level dimes out of the pick-and-roll. Plus, he was a consensus top-10 player in his high school class, and we know the Brooklyn Nets love them some pre-draft-year pedigree.
Others
My gut is that those are the four names you’ll be hearing the most, but there are certainly not the only options for the Brooklyn Nets at #6. Remember, Egor Dëmin wasn’t even in the picture when Brooklyn first drew #8 last season.
- Labaron Philon Jr.: He’ll turn 21 early next season after playing at Alabama for two seasons, but the 6’4” guard has an electric highlight tape and shot nearly 40% from three this season. He was a better playmaker his sophomore season, and though he put up very few rebounding/defensive numbers, posting a 63 TS% while carrying a huge offensive load is more than impressive.
- Aday Mara: He’s 21, he’s slow, yes, yes, yes. But the Spanish big man is also 7’3” with commendable passing and rim protection instincts. Drafting him at #6 wouldn’t be the sexiest pick, but it’s conceivable that he ends up as one of the draft’s six best players.
- Yaxel Lendeborg: Born in Puerto Rico to Dominican parents but raised in New Jersey, Lendeborg is 23 years old. He’ll be 24 when training camp opens. However, the big wing was one college basketball’s best all-around players this past season, winning a title with Aday Mara at Michigan while making threes, making twos, rebounding, passing, blocking shots, and rarely turning it over. Is Lendeborg going to be the ideal role-playing wing?
- Dailyn Swain
- Nate Ament
- Brayden Burries
If we’re making a really long list, I could’ve thrown a couple more names in there. There is little consensus after the first four picks. The Brooklyn Nets have the opportunity to select the best prospect they’ve had since moving to Brooklyn, but it will not be easy.
Let’s get this out of the way now: They are not trading up. It’s not happening.
What the heck would Brooklyn have to offer the teams at the very top of the draft?
Trading down is infinitely more feasible, though perhaps not likely. But it may be the right move for the Nets if they particularly like one of the older prospects like Swain/Lendeborg/Joshua Jefferson or a less heralded guard like Tyler Tanner or Bennett Stirtz. The guards projected to go in the 5-9 range are quite talented, but all have very real question marks. The older prospects, if nothing else, could be more ready to help Brooklyn take a step forward next year, perhaps quelling some of the fanbase’s frustrations. (And saving some jobs?)
The NBA Draft Lottery Gods did not smile upon the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon, but once again regarded them with wrath. That doesn’t mean the Nets can’t draft a great player, though. Here’s to hoping.
