The Brooklyn Nets’ season started with two of the best players on the planet and a bit of promise, but it ended with a vastly re-shaped roster that got some somewhat useful playoff experience. Where do they go from here? It will be interesting to see how they continue to develop this roster after amassing a healthy plethora of rangy wings.

How’d It Go?

The Brooklyn Nets dealt star guard James Harden at the trade deadline last season and entered this season with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. The three never truly meshed on the court, and after some off-court issues with Kyrie Irving, he was the first domino to fall in a trade to the Dallas Mavericks that brought back Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and picks. Kevin Durant followed shortly after in a shocking trade to the Phoenix Suns that netted the Nets Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and some more draft picks.

The Nets suddenly found themselves younger and loaded with picks despite being in the playoff picture. They slipped a bit from there, but ultimately they wound up the sixth seed and were swept by the Philadelphia 76ers. Mikal Bridges stood out as an incredible first option when given the opportunity, which wasn’t much of a surprise to most serious fantasy basketball players who were able to watch him closely in that role for the Phoenix Suns when Devin Booker and Chris Paul were injured this season.

All in all, the Nets were able to cash in on their superstars and amass young talent and draft picks, pulling off an effective (though drastic) pivot which should give Nets fans excitement about the future.

Coaching

The Nets vehemently refused to fire head coach Steve Nash despite some not-so-veiled overtures from their star player Kevin Durant over the summer. This course of action would have been fine by itself, but the team then reversed course and fired Nash just eight games into this season after a 2-6 start. Jacque Vaughn took over as interim coach and kept the job long-term after one week.

Vaughn has endeared himself to some fans with his candid pressers and generally being well-liked by his team, but it’s still early and he mostly gets a pass for this season with so much going on in the background. Vaughn shortened his bench and played guys with length and defensive versatility, leading to some early returns for the Nets in the form of wins.

He gets an incomplete for this season from me since so much changed before he could really get his claws into the Kevin Durant/Kyrie Irving edition of the Nets. He had the young guys playing pretty well down the stretch, so we’ll see what he does next season. It does seem like the front office is on the same page, going out and acquiring a bunch of lengthy wing players who are sure to fit Vaughn’s defensive schemes well. The Nets extended Vaughn through 2026-27 in February and with expectations lifted a bit, it seems like coach Vaughn will be a staple for this developing team for at least the next few seasons, barring anything crazy.

The Players

Mikal Bridges

SF, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: 57/58 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 17/10 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 50/34 (8/9-cat)

The sudden ascension of Mikal Bridges after he joined the Nets wasn’t a surprise to serious hoops fans. He had flashed this potential earlier in the season when Devin Booker had to miss some games due to injury. The more startling development was that opposing teams didn’t seem to be able to scheme a way to stop him from getting what he wanted on the offensive end. Bridges has long been an unheralded fantasy workhorse for teams as he plays in every game, shoots the ball efficiently, and contributes on the defensive end. He’s been worthy of a third or fourth-round selection, but now he will be looking at a selection somewhere near or shortly after the turn from the first to the second round, though that thinking may be skewed more heavily towards roto leagues.

And in roto leagues, he is absolutely found money if you get him later than that. He didn’t play in 82 games this season, he played in 83! That’s right, due to the trade, he was able to play one extra game beyond the maximum for most, which is why his totals value is much higher than his per-game value. In fairness, that last game lasted about six seconds, but he has yet to miss a game in his career. After the trade, he was still an easy second-round fantasy stud down the stretch on a per-game basis. He will flirt with first-round value in totals almost assuredly next season, but the per-game numbers will be interesting to watch. If his defensive stats normalize, and he continues to score efficiently, he can definitely get there. He will be a popular early target in competitive leagues whereas in casual leagues you’ll be able to let him slip a little later and get incredible value.

In real life, he’s someone to watch as a potential Most Improved Player award winner next season. The secret’s out of the bag and Mikal is set to fly.

Nicolas Claxton

C, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: 125/125 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 37/21 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 43/25 (8/9-cat)

Nicolas Claxton’s transformation into defensive dynamo and lob-finisher extraordinaire was quite impressive, and many observers slept on his development. He wasn’t a serious Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but he was on the ballot and wasn’t far behind guys like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brook Lopez. It would be easy to chalk up some of his success to the gravity of guys like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but he was still a third round value after the trade deadline.

There’s no easy way for Claxton to step into a bigger role, so this is probably the ceiling (unless he starts hitting his free throws) but it’s a pretty darn good one and he should be on your radar in the third round of fantasy drafts next season. In dynasty leagues, he’s surely a huge value for whichever team has him. The Nets seem content to rebuild their roster around their younger talent and Nic Claxton is surely a part of that core group, so consider him safe value for next season at the very least.

Spencer Dinwiddie

PG, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: 120/119 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 53/61 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 89/97 (8/9-cat)

Spencer Dinwiddie isn’t someone that we get super excited about in fantasy circles, but he cruised this season to late mid-round value. This rise was due to a career-high 3-point volume and some extra assists on improved efficiency. This could very well regress next season depending on what the Brooklyn Nets decide to do with their roster.

He has one more year on his contract, but with the Nets he mustered just 12th-round value and he shouldn’t be a staple in this Nets lineup unless they make a miracle run and he’s still on the roster. The Nets probably won’t dedicate many minutes to a 30-year-old. We will have to see who the Nets draft with the 21st and 22nd picks this draft, or if they package those to move up somehow. If they add a young guard — or an alternative in free agency — you can pretty much kiss any fantasy value goodbye when it comes to Dinwiddie. Let someone else reach for him next season, but he should always be on your radar as a streamer.

Royce O'Neale

PF, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: 139/ 141 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 109/110 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 141/139 (8/9-cat)

Royce O’Neale has been a nice roto guy for years, but now the Nets have a ton of options to fill his “3-and-D” role. He wasn’t anything more than a low-end streamer after the Nets traded for guys like Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith. All of those guys seem to be comfortably ahead of O’Neale on the depth chart. It was a quiet end after O’Neale was a perfect fit next to the team’s stars, racing out of the gates with several weeks of middle-round output.

He only has a a partially guaranteed contract for next season, so it will be interesting to see what the Nets do. He seems to be pretty expendable to this team but valuable to a lot of others, so he may find himself in a better situation at some point next season. Even if he does, it’s hard to advocate for a selection of him in most standard fantasy basketball formats.

Dorian Finney-Smith

PF, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A/131 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 178/168 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 183/179 (8/9-cat)

Dorian Finney-Smith has never been an exciting player for fantasy but he usually plods along with some late-round value. This season, he never could get traction in Dallas and the trade to Brooklyn didn’t seem to help matters either. He’s an excellent versatile defender, but it’s hard to see him developing into a high-usage offensive player this late in his career. This season, he just couldn’t get his 3-pointers to fall, which tanked his 3-pointers and field goal percentage. Everything else was in line with last season’s solid value. There may be an odd year her or there where he hits a good number of three and records more steals than his average, but the upside is minimal compared to other guys you can draft. Leave him for waiver wire fodder.

ADP: 137 /122 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 182/149 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 80/51 (8/9-cat)

It was a bit of a strange year for Cam Johnson as he started the season as a starting forward for the Phoenix Suns which was a move that alienated former starter Jae Crowder. It turned out to be a fantastic move as he wound up with career-best numbers pretty much across the board. His steal rate also skyrocketed, which wasn’t something many had predicted.

Of course, he also only managed to suit up for 42 games on the season as he missed a large chunk of time with a torn meniscus. He looked totally fine upon his return and a move to the Nets should solidify him as a solid mid-round target next season, even if we factor in regression in the steals category. Draft him for threes and points, but the rest should sort itself out. Getting both Bridges and Johnson out of a Durant trade looks like a coup.

Joe Harris

SF, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A/141 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 225/204 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 289/267 (8/9-cat)

“Average” Joe Harris was a late-round staple for a few years, but after a few down seasons in the shooting department and a bad ankle injury, his hold on a full-time NBA role is dwindling. If he sticks on the Nets, he will have a tough time getting playing time over the younger players they are trying to develop. Harris seems destined to be a 3-point specialist that a competing team adds to make their deep playoff push and at age 32, that ain’t so bad for Average Joe. There’s no reason he should be on your radar in pretty much any league unless the roster makeup changes significantly.

Ben Simmons

PG, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: 134 / 77 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 226/243 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 114/132 (8/9-cat)

We might never have seen such a swift fall from grace as we have with Ben Simmons. Simmons was an All-Star not long ago, and a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. One missed dunk opportunity in the playoffs later, and Ben’s tragic mental health issues and back issues led to his ouster from the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster trade to the Nets in exchange for a disgruntled James Harden.

That move hasn’t worked out for the Nets, and while Simmons had his moments as a screen-setter for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, he also just doesn’t have that same lateral quickness he had just a few years ago. The back issues are truly bothering him there, and the fans piling on hasn’t helped.

A lot more people will be down on Simmons after he burned them this year by missing most of the second half of the season. We’ll have to see something in the preseason to be totally on board, but he may wind up being an absolute steal for punt-FT teams who will be able to nab him late in drafts. He’ll need to play more like the old Ben though, and a potential shift back to point guard on this Nets team may just get him there. If he can get healthy, the length of this Nets team in the backcourt could be a total menace for other teams. There’s a lot of “ifs” for a player who hasn’t proven ready to answer them, though.

Seth Curry

SG, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: 135 /138 (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 238/230 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 254/256 (8/9-cat)

Seth Curry has been a nice cheap source for threes and points, but now he’s getting up there in age and he may be at the end of the line. As a shooter, he probably has a few more years in the NBA, but he will have to walk into the right situation to see a starting role or 30+ minutes a night again. He doesn’t do enough in the other categories to take that gamble, so he can safely be ignored outside of the occasional stream for threes. The Nets currently have a lot of guys battling for time so it will be tough for any depth player to stand out.

Cam Thomas

SG, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 285/305 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 323/353 (8/9-cat)

Remember when Cam Thomas scored 40+ points in three straight games like it was nothing? Cam Thomas definitely remembers. He spent the year in and out of the lineup because while he is a certified bucket-getter, he also has some pretty obvious flaws in other areas of the game. Still, he’ll only be 22 when the next season starts and the Nets picked up their team option for next season. He may not be someone you draft, but when silly season starts closer to the playoffs, keep these points explosions in mind. He can do this nearly at will. Just don’t expect much else aside from the points.

Edmond Sumner

PG, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 287/287 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 301/311 (8/9-cat)

Edmond Sumner had a starting role for the Nets for a brief stretch, and then he was essentially out of the rotation. The trades the Nets made didn’t seem to affect his playing time at all. He may latch on as a backup somewhere on a contender, but that would be the best case scenario and he won’t get enough minutes or usage to matter.

Yuta Watanabe

PF, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 292/279 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 332/303 (8/9-cat)

Yuta Watanabe had a few nice moments for the Nets when they were shorthanded or lacking big bodies, helped by some blistering 3-point shooting, but he won’t be a crucial player for any team he plays for in the NBA. He may not even be in the NBA soon as he’s not currently under contract.

Day'Ron Sharpe

C, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 314/319 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 319/332 (8/9-cat)

Day’Ron Sharpe is someone to keep your eye on. Perhaps more so in deeper leagues, but the 21-year-old has some pretty eye-popping per-36 numbers with 13.0 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per-36 minutes. Nic Claxton is the far better player, but if Sharpe can carve out a 15-20 minute reserve role he could have a career trajectory similar to Naz Reid. He’s an intriguing prospect still with his size and versatility on both sides of the basketball. He’s still pretty raw though.

Patty Mills

PG, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 360/364 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 386/393 (8/9-cat)

Is this the end for Patty Mills? He’ll be 35 next season and on the last year of his current contract. It’s hard to see him sticking around in Brooklyn, but it’s also hard to see there being a big market for his services. Just remember the fun times we had with Patty in San Antonio and weep.

Dru Smith

PG, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 428/410 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 358/319 (8/9-cat)

He played 158 minutes this season, apparently.

David Duke Jr.

SG, Brooklyn Nets

ADP: N/A / N/A (ESPN/Yahoo) | Total Value: 437/453 (8/9-cat) | Per-Game Value: 461/486 (8/9-cat)

What an unfortunate name. He has shown some promise as a scoring bench guard, but he won’t be anywhere near important enough to be on any fantasy team.

Fantasy Star

I’m going to give this to Nicolas Claxton. Assuredly, you can make the case for the borderline first-rounder Mikal Bridges here, but there’s no bigger disparity between ADP and fantasy value. This is probably going to be the norm from Clax as long as this Nets team remains intact in its current state. Even if they make moves, he’s proven he can put up value alongside star players. He’s a really nice piece for the Brooklyn Nets to have, and many teams are going to covet him for his defense alone. He should be in store for some early mid-round value for at least 4-5 years, barring any kind of injury.

Fantasy Letdown

Ben Simmons just can’t get a dub these days, can he? I do think Simmons presents some major upside for teams with specific builds that is hard to ignore come draft time, but the vast majority of fantasy players will just want to steer clear until he can prove he can stay healthy and play at the level we have seen him play for extended periods of time. It’s crazy how far he has fallen, but he is still pretty young and can turn this around. I’m cheering for him, at least.

One to Watch

Day’Ron Sharpe probably won’t reach standard league value next season, but if you’re in a dynasty league he’s worth a grab wherever you can get him. He’s a bit like a bull in a china shop right now sometimes, but if he can get his energy under control he has a nice fantasy stat set with blocks, threes and a great field goal percentage. His free-throw percentage also improved from year one to year two, which is just one of many indicators that he could improve his 3-point shooting in the years to come. He probably won’t ever be a starter, but he could become a very nice bench player that could scratch at standard league value with considerable upside if he ever finds himself thrust into a starter’s-level role.

One Burning Question

Will the Nets add a star? Such an interesting question for this franchise as it clearly hasn’t worked out for them (times three!) in the past. Yet, they are absolutely flush with high-level role players, and adding a dynamic star — beyond an ascending Mikal Bridges — to this mix could be just the thing that unlocks their potential. They are young, but they aren’t THAT young that they can muck around for 2-3 years without making any real progress. This is one team I would be watching closely in free agency and at the trade deadline this year to see if they make any kind of big splash. They have enough assets to go get someone, likely a guard that can be the main playmaker for them.