The Brooklyn Nets find themselves in a difficult position to open the 2025–26 season. Through 10 games, Brooklyn sits at 1–9 and has struggled to generate consistent production from its youthful roster. Despite owning five first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, none were selected higher than No. 8, leaving the team without an immediate blue-chip prospect to build around.
Making matters worse, guard Cam Thomas is sidelined once again with a hamstring injury—the same issue that limited him to just 23 games a season ago. His absence has placed the bulk of the scoring workload on recent acquisition Michael Porter Jr., who has performed well but cannot single-handedly lift the Nets out of their early-season slump.
After parting ways with stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden in recent years, Brooklyn remains in search of its next franchise cornerstone. One league insider believes the Nets may find that answer in an upcoming free agent.
An unnamed Eastern Conference executive told ESPN he views Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves as a perfect target for Brooklyn once he reaches free agency.
“AR’s a stud,” the executive told ESPN. “If I were the Brooklyn Nets, I would throw all the money at him. He has shown when he gets the keys to the engine, he can produce.”
Reaves, 27, is older than most emerging stars but continues to play at an elite level. Through eight games this season, he ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring at 30.3 points per game.
According to Spotrac, the Nets are projected to have the most cap space in the league entering the 2026–27 season, positioning them as major players on the open market. Whether Reaves would be interested in joining a rebuilding Brooklyn roster, however, remains uncertain.
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