Analyzing the Nets Cap Space and Draft Assets - 2026 Offseason Preview

On the Nets' upcoming offseason, their fluid cap space situation, how they could use it to add assets and veterans, and why the 3-2-1 lottery increases the value of their draft pick surplus.

The Nets are now 3.5 years removed from trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They remained competitive with the pieces they had left, but they ultimately pivoted to a rebuild two years ago after making a couple of trades. They couldn’t truly take a step back before then since the Rockets controlled their draft picks through 2027. Brooklyn was able to bottom out after regaining control of its 2025 and 2026 first-round picks by swapping other selections to Houston.

That trade still hasn’t resulted in the lottery luck the Nets were likely hoping for. They are still in the early stages of a rebuild and don’t seem close to becoming a sustainable playoff team anytime soon. They are now entering a season in which they no longer have much incentive to lose since the Rockets still have the right to swap for their 2027 first-round pick. The new 3-2-1 lottery reform would also reduce incentives to race to the bottom of the standings.

The Nets are now faced with the challenge of developing a young team in a year where they likely won’t end up in the lottery. Do they use their cap space to acquire veterans now that could make them somewhat respectable? Or do they continue to accumulate assets with negative value salaries attached? The answer is likely somewhere in the middle, where they add to their draft surplus while adding impactful players from teams needing to reduce payroll.

---

Salary cap situation and draft picks

It’s worth noting that the Nets had $60 million in cap space last season but didn’t spend all of it. They still have $3.9 million remaining that they could use between now and June 30, the last day of the current salary cap year. They could use it to sign a free agent or trade for a player under contract.

The Nets are set to enter the 2026 offseason with 14 players on the roster totaling $131.6 million in salaries. They will operate as a cap space team, with a maximum slot available of $41.25 million. Their actual cap space figure remains fluid with several players on team options and non-guarantees they still need to make decisions on.

Their total salaries are $33.4 million below the $165 million salary cap, so they will have at least that amount to spend. They can access that cap space by renouncing all of their free agent cap holds, including Ochai Agbaji’s $19.15 million hold. All five of the Nets’ free agents are eligible for restricted free agency, so renouncing their rights would make them unrestricted. Brooklyn could still re-sign them with its cap space, the $9.4 million room mid-level exception, or minimum contracts.

In addition to renouncements, the Nets could get up to a maximum of $47.9 million in cap space by declining team options and waiving non-guaranteed players. That would include the $6.25 million team options for Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams. They could decline both players and re-sign them to new deals. They could also decline both to maximize cap space, then re-sign one of them with the $9.4 million room mid-level exception afterward.

The Nets could also look to renegotiate Michael Porter Jr.’s contract and extend him. That would require cap space to increase his 2026-27 salary. When you factor that in, along with possible new deals for Sharpe and Williams, the Nets are probably still looking at $33-40 million in cap space. They can create more by trading a player like Nic Claxton for less salary, or Terance Mann without taking any back. They’ve got a league-record 21 second-round picks to help dump salaries and create more room.