Nets Owner Joe Tsai Drops Surprising Hint: Is This the Season of a Game-Changing Draft Pick?

The Brooklyn Nets have made it crystal clear: this season is all about rebuilding and the future draft lottery. After blowing through five first-round picks last June and parting ways with seasoned players like Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder, and D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn’s counting on young guns Cam Thomas—who’s hustling on his qualifying offer—and Michael Porter Jr. to spearhead their offense. But if you still doubted the direction, team owner Joe Tsai laid it out without hesitation on the All-In podcast: this year’s a rebuilding campaign, with their eyes firmly set on the 2026 draft and the hopes of landing a coveted pick to bolster a roster brimming with potential. The upcoming draft class boasts top talents such as Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer, promising plenty of intrigue. Brooklyn’s not alone in this strategy; Utah and Washington echo similar sentiments, as several teams grapple with the long road back to contention. With a complex web of draft picks and swap rights extending into the late 2020s, the Nets have positioned themselves to leverage future opportunities—and believe me, this fresh approach might just pay dividends. LEARN MORE.

It wasn’t exactly a secret what the Brooklyn Nets’ goal was for this season: They used all five of their first-round picks last June, then this summer they traded or let walk Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder and D’Angelo Russell. Brooklyn is going to lean into Cam Thomas — playing for his next contract on the qualifying offer — and Michael Porter Jr. to drive their offense.

But if you had any doubts about the plan, here is what team owner Joe Tsai said while on the All-In podcast (hat tip RealGM).

“I have to say we’re in a rebuilding year. We spent all of our pick (in the 2025 NBA Draft). We had five first-round draft picks this past summer …

“We have one [first-round] pick in 2026, and we hope to get a good pick. So, you can predict what kind of strategy we will use for this season. But we have a very young team.”

This upcoming NBA Draft is considered a strong draft at the top with Darryn Peterson (Kansas), A.J. Dybantsa (BYU) and Cameron Boozer (Duke) all in the mix for the No. 1 pick, with some other real talent such as Nate Ament (Tennessee), Mikel Brown (Louisville) and Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor) worth keeping an eye on.

Brooklyn isn’t the only team starting this season with an eye toward the draft, the same idea is playing out in Utah and Washington, and you can be sure a few other teams with long-shot postseason hopes will be pivoting to the strategy early.

The Nets control their own pick this season, but in 2027 the Houston Rockets have swap rights. Starting in 2028, the Nets will have their own first-round picks and/or first-round picks or swaps coming in from the Knicks, 76ers and Nuggets.