Nets Rumors

Nets Notes: Fernandez, Saraf, Martin, Powell, Wolf

Nets coach Jordi Fernandez understands that wins aren’t likely to be plentiful this season, but he wants to see a better effort from his players than he did in Sunday’s game against Philadelphia, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn gave up 129 points in a home loss to a Sixers team playing without Joel Embiid and was never really competitive while falling to 0-6.

“We go back to the same with poor defensive effort,” Fernandez said. “I’m failing at trying to get my guys to play hard. I’m trying to ask them questions: How can I do it to get them to play really hard? And then you live with the result. I’m not living with this result because the effort is not there and the defense is not there. And we’re turning it over — 19 turnovers for 20 points. Until we don’t have that, we’re not gonna be able to fight for a win. It’s plain and simple. How many games is it gonna take? It’s six now.”

Fernandez was upset after watching his team allow Kelly Oubre Jr. to score 22 first quarter points on his way to a 29-point night. Tyrese Maxey added 26 and Quentin Grimes contributed 22 off the bench as Philadelphia shot 52.1% from the field.

“We know after every game we come here and say the same thing, our defensive presence, our defensive presence. So you know what it is. It’s obvious,” Terance Mann told reporters. “We’re gonna have to or we’re gonna keep losing. So, that’s what coach wants, if we don’t figure out how and have the willingness to do it, then it’s just gonna be the same results, to be honest. That’s just what it is.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

  • Fernandez made a change to his starting lineup on Sunday, replacing rookie point guard Ben Saraf with Tyrese Martin, Lewis states in a separate story. Martin went scoreless in 27 minutes, missing all six of his shots from the field, while Saraf wasn’t used at all after starting his first five games. “I think (Fernandez) wants more on the defensive side. I think the last two games, I had, like, a couple of breakdowns on defense. So, it’s really important for the team. I think this is the main thing,” Saraf said. “I feel like I’m a capable defensive player. I think I just need a little more focus on some possessions. Yeah, I need to be there.”
  • Fernandez was planning an increased role for rookie guard Drake Powell on Sunday, but he had to be removed with a twisted left ankle after playing just 4:27. Powell wasn’t limping after the game and didn’t have ice or a wrap on the ankle, Lewis adds. “He’ll be back soon because he’s a worker and he’s great,” Fernandez said. “He started very well with great energy, the two transition points. Unfortunately, this is part of the game.”
  • Danny Wolf missed Sunday’s game as he continues to experience soreness after spraining his left ankle during the opening-night shootaround, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. Of Brooklyn’s five first-round picks this year, Wolf is the only one who hasn’t appeared in a game yet.

Nets Notes: Clowney, Demin, Saraf, Mann, Williams, Claxton

The Nets are off to a 0-5 start and Noah Clowney has been part of the problem. The forward has scored just 5.2 points per game while shooting 25% from the field, mostly from beyond the arc. The coaching staff wants Clowney to keep firing away.

“Just keep shooting it,” coach Jordi Fernández told Dan Martin of the New York Post. “Don’t overthink it.”

The front office picked up Clowney’s 2026/27 option at the start of the season. The third-year forward/center averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per contest last season, shooting just 35.8% from the floor in 46 games.

“We need Noah,” Fernández said. “Noah is a big presence for our team. [He has] toughness, size, shooting, rebounding [and] winning plays. We need more verticality and he’s a big part of doing that.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

  • Fernandez sat rookies Egor Demin and Ben Saraf for the entire fourth quarter of their 117-112 loss to the Hawks on Wednesday, as the coach decided to go with veterans Tyrese Martin and Terance Mann, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. Demin has shot 9-for-22 from beyond the arc this season but hasn’t even attempted a shot inside the three-point line. “Yeah, he’s got to figure it out. Obviously, I want him to touch the paint,” Fernández said. “We all, everybody, will figure it out that he’s a threat from the three-point line, but he cannot play just behind the three.”
  • As for Mann, whose three-year, $47MM extension he signed with the Clippers last October kicked in this season,  he’s averaging 11.2 points in 25.4 minutes per game while shooting 54.6% from the field. “Terance has a good overall feel for the game,” Fernandez said, per Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “He does a little bit of everything, and I like when he’s aggressive and he gets assists when he gets to the rim and he sprays the ball.”
  • Ziaire Williams has a “small, very minor” back fracture after a hard fall on Sunday in San Antonio. He’s hopeful he can return this Sunday when the Nets host the Sixers, according to Crane“It locked up on me,” Williams said. “… But it’s something that can’t get worse. So at this point, it’s just a pain tolerance thing, so as soon as the pain just goes down, it’s never gonna be perfect, at least right now.”
  • Brooklyn ranks last in the league in defensive efficiency ranks and needs defensive anchor Nic Claxton to step up his game, C.J. Holmes of the New York Daily News writes. “It’s very simple. I mean, Nic is a very good defender. He’s not happy,” Fernandez said. “He has high standards and he’s hard on himself… We’re all together here. I believe in him. We had a great stretch last year when we were high level offensively, and right now we’re not. So, continuity, work together, believe in each other; all those things are important. And you know, we know he’s a great rim protector. We know he can get deflections. We know he can run the floor. We know he can rebound. So those things I believe he can do. And he believes.”

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Powell, Wolf, Oubre, Watford, Robinson

The members of the Nets‘ organization who are prioritizing a “good pick” in the 2026 draft likely aren’t overly upset about the team’s 0-4 start, but head coach Jordi Fernandez wasn’t pleased with the compete level he saw from his club in a blowout loss to Houston on Monday, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“I need consistency and urgency. And that’s got to be like something that we cannot decide if we’re doing it or not,” Fernandez said. “It’s a matter of who we want to be, right? Giving up 42 (first-quarter points) to start, it’s not great. It’s just unacceptable to take an NBA game for granted. And our guys are trying. They just don’t know how much harder and focused they can do things. And I believe they’ll keep taking those steps. A lot of it is just lack of experience.”

Only two of the Nets’ five 2025 first-round picks were active in Houston, with Egor Demin (plantar fascia) ruled out and Drake Powell and Danny Wolf assigned to the G League. Still, seven of the 12 players who saw the floor for Brooklyn are under 25 years old, and three others are just 26.

As Lewis writes, the challenge for the Nets as an organization this season will be to lose enough games to get that high draft pick coveted by management and ownership while not establishing the sort of hard-to-break habits that will negatively impact the team’s culture going forward.

“A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there’s no consequences,” one player agent told Lewis. “You risk eroding the environment you’re trying to create.”

We have more from around the Atlantic:

  • Powell played just two minutes in the Nets‘ opener, while Wolf has yet to make his regular season debut. Both players have been dealing with ankle injuries, but Fernandez suggested on Monday that they’ll likely get a look in the NBA after they spend some time with Long Island in the G League and get healthy. “We have a plan for everybody. Sometimes, those plans have to be made on the go because we didn’t know they’d sprain their ankles,” Fernandez said, per Lewis. “They did. Now, they’re ready to practice. Now, they can get real practices. That’s very good that they can do that, so when we need them, they’re ready to go. I’m very happy with the resources we have, how we use them, and it’s good that they have this practice and then they can help us soon.”
  • While the backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe has deservedly gotten much of the credit for the Sixers‘ hot start head coach Nick Nurse was effusive in his praise for the team’s third-leading scorer, Kelly Oubre Jr., after the forward racked up 25 points and 10 rebounds in Monday’s win over Orlando. As Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets, Nurse raved about Oubre’s defensive versatility and effort on the boards. “Kelly was awesome,” Nurse said. “That was one of Kelly’s best games, if not his best game, as a Sixer. He was awesome from the beginning.” The 29-year-old is on an expiring $8.38MM contract and was considered a possible trade candidate during the offseason.
  • Forward Trendon Watford will make his Sixers debut on Tuesday in Washington, reports Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Watford, who signed with Philadelphia as a free agent over the summer, has been sidelined since training camp due to a right hamstring injury.
  • The Knicks have ruled out center Mitchell Robinson for a fourth straight game to open the season due to left ankle injury maintenance, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Robinson has yet to play this season despite no indication from the team that he suffered a new injury or a setback this month.

Atlantic Notes: Z. Williams, Thomas, Demin, Edgecombe, Gonzalez

Injuries continue to pile up for the Nets, who dropped their third straight game Sunday in San Antonio and saw Ziaire Williams leave with a lower back contusion, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Williams landed hard on the court after a collision, and his status for tonight’s game in Houston is uncertain.

“Yeah, it definitely hurt. I would never leave the game if I could play,” Williams said. “It just got real tight. I couldn’t really move out there. So I’ve just got to go over it with the medical staff. They’re already going over a game plan for me. I’ve already iced and started my recovery now. So hopefully, with this early game and some recovery and I get back to hotel, hopefully, I’ll bounce back.”

Brooklyn was already without Haywood Highsmith, who is recovering from right knee surgery, along with rookies Drake Powell and Danny Wolf, who are day-to-day with sprained ankles. Cam Thomas is dealing with a nasal fracture, but he’s opting to play without a mask.

“Just gotta keep playing, keep pushing. If I’m good enough to play, I’ll be out there playing, so no worries. Just basketball,” Thomas said. “Yeah, I considered it, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t that bad. … If I wanted to wear a mask, I could. But at the end of the day, I’ll just take my chances.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Nets guard Egor Demin is showing promise early in his NBA career, but he understands that he has to drive into the lane more often to be fully effective, Lewis adds in a separate story. Demin is answering doubters about his outside shot, but he needs to break down defenses to create opportunities for teammates. “We have a lot of shooters, and for me getting to the paint is an opportunity to make their lives easier and create something good for them,” he said. “So that’s something I’m really having in focus. And I’m really planning to work on it even more and trying to adjust myself so I can be able to do that more.”
  • Sixers rookie VJ Edgecombe has already won over Joel Embiid, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). After scoring 34 points on opening night, Edgecombe has found multiple ways to help the team, posting 15 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals in Saturday’s win over Charlotte. “You’ve got to keep being aggressive, but also letting the game come to you,” Embiid said. “And that’s what he did tonight. Every night, I said it after the first game, every night — it might be Tyrese (Maxey). It might be me. It might be him. It might be someone else, but you’ve still got to play the right way. Some nights, you’re not going to score. How else are you going to contribute? He’s doing it defensively and sharing the ball.”
  • Guarding Cade Cunningham was part of the assignment on Sunday as Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez made his first NBA start, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. Gonzalez got plenty of recognition from teammates after holding the Pistons star to three points on 1-of-5 shooting as his primary defender. “I like Hugo’s mentality. I like how he comes out; he’s ready to go,” Jaylen Brown said. “He knows his role. And he can play. So, we’re gonna need more of that. He’s gonna continue to learn as he gets better, as he grows, but that’s what we need.”

Nets Notes: Porter, Clowney, Powell, Wolf, Rotation

Projected to be the NBA’s very worst team a year ago, the Nets defied expectations in the season’s opening weeks, winning nine of their first 19 games. If they hope to repeat that feat this fall, Wednesday’s season opener in Charlotte didn’t represent a step in the right direction.

As Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes, Brooklyn looked very much like a tanking team in a blowout 136-117 loss to a Hornets club that won just 19 games last season.

“We weren’t good on defense at all, especially in transition,” forward Michael Porter Jr. said after the game. “Offensively we got some good looks, but we’ve got to be more organized and together as a team. We definitely need to have a sense of urgency and figure out our identity. We’ve got to figure that out as a team. It’s the first game; can’t overreact. But at the same time we saw some glaring problems, individually and collectively.”

As Porter observes, the Nets struggled badly on the defensive end in Wednesday’s loss, allowing the Hornets to make 53.3% of their shots from the field, including 47.2% of their three-pointers. Charlotte also outscored Brooklyn 23-5 in fast-break points.

“We just got to execute better from top to bottom — all five guys on the court, the bench. Our energy. We just all have to be better, for real,” starting center Nic Claxton said. “It starts on a defensive end … our energy just has to be better. And when we face adversity, we all have to be better. Everybody.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

  • It was a forgettable Nets regular season debut for Porter, who struggled on both ends of the court and was a team-worst -19 in 25 minutes, Lewis writes in a separate New York Post story. While Porter has never been a lockdown defender, he’s usually a reliable source of offense. However, his shot wasn’t falling against Charlotte, as he knocked down just 5-of-15 attempts from the floor. “I just didn’t feel like I was as fresh as I needed to be,” he said. “I feel like a lot of the guys were probably a little bit more sluggish, a second too slow.”
  • Nets forward/center Noah Clowney was happy that the team decided to exercise its fourth-year option on his rookie scale contract this week, guaranteeing his $5.41MM salary for 2026/27. “It feels good to know that they believe in me to do that,” Clowney told Lewis. “So for them to do that means they believe in me being some form of long-term piece. So, it feels good to know that.”
  • A pair of the Nets’ first-round picks are sideliend with early-season injuries, per Lewis. Drake Powell sustained a right ankle sprain in Wednesday’s loss in Charlotte, while Danny Wolf sprained his left ankle at the team’s shootaround earlier in the day. Both rookies have been ruled out for at least the club’s Friday home opener vs. Cleveland.
  • In the wake of Jordi Fernandez‘s comments about his plan to use a 10-man rotation, Lewis (subscription required) explores what the Nets’ rotation might look like, suggesting that rookies Nolan Traore and Powell could probably benefit from some time in the G League during the first half of the season.

New York Notes: Robinson, Thibodeau, Demin, Thomas

The Knicks are facing the ghosts of injuries past as recently anointed starting center Mitchell Robinson opens the season inactive due to load management, writes Kristian Winfield for the New York Daily News.

Winfield notes that there’s no official timetable for Robinson’s season debut, a dissatisfying data point in a confusing saga that began when Robinson sat out the second half of the team’s October 9 preseason game after playing the first half. According to head coach Mike Brown, that uncertainty may not be resolved in the near future.

There may be a stretch of five games where we may sit him. There may be a stretch of two games where we may sit him,” Brown said. “There’s no definition of what load management is. You just go along … myself and the medical team and the front office will go along as we see fit, and we’ll decide if we want to sit him during practice or we want to sit him in a game. It’s as simple as that.”

Stefan Bondy of the New York Post also expresses some confusion regarding Robinson’s status, writing that he doesn’t understand why the big man is sitting out on opening night if he didn’t suffer some sort of injury or setback during the preseason. Bondy also relays Brown’s explanation for Robinson missing the team’s season opener.

Just because he might be able to play tonight, he might be able to practice today, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m gonna play him or I’m gonna practice him,” Brown said.

We have more from around the world of New York basketball:

  • The Knicks‘ decision to part ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau this summer after one of their most successful seasons in recent memory came down to a philosophical misalignment with certain members of the front office, writes Ian O’Connor for The Athletic, who says those front office executives were focused far more on Thibodeau’s flaws than his strengths. “In their world, the players were 51-0 and Tom was 0-31… He also had a sense of betrayal,” a source close to him said. “When you find out that people you helped either weren’t with you in the end or didn’t fight for you like you fought for them, that stings.”
  • Egor Demin was intent on preparing his body for the Nets‘ season as he recovered from plantar fasciitis, writes Peter Botte for the New York Post. Demin has added over 10 pounds of muscle since being drafted and he said the difference is noticeable. “[I wanted] to be able to compete against athletes as we have [in the NBA], so I can be a little bit heavier to be stronger on defense, on offense, to get into the paint, and things like this,” Demin said. “As long as I’m above that [number], it’s good, but not too much [because] I want to still be able to run. But I think I’m in a good balance right now with my weight, muscles and condition.” Demin came off the bench on Wednesday in the Nets’ season opener against the Hornets.
  • Cam Thomas will return to free agency in 2026 after accepting his qualifying offer following a lengthy standoff with the Nets this summer. However, he’s not struggling to keep his eye on the ball, literally, as he enters another contract year, writes The New York Post’s Brian Lewis. “I’m not really worried about that. It’ll take care of itself,” Thomas said of his place in Brooklyn and his contract situation going forward. “The main goal is just being on the court and playing, being out there. I love to hoop, I love to play, so that’s really the main thing I’m trying to do this year. Whatever happens, happens. I’ll let that take care of itself.” After a season shortened by injuries, Thomas came into this year slimmed down and ready to take on an even bigger role.

Nets Pick Up Noah Clowney’s 2026/27 Option

The Nets have exercised their fourth-year team option on big man Noah Clowney for the 2026/27 season, the team announced today (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of NJ.com).

Clowney, who is earning roughly $3.4MM in 2025/26, will now have his $5,414,034 salary for next season guaranteed as well. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason and would reach potential restricted free agency in 2027 if he doesn’t sign a new contract before that point.

The 21st overall pick in the 2023 draft, Clowney didn’t play much at the NBA level as a rookie, appearing in just 23 games. He earned more regular minutes in 2024/25, but was limited to 46 outings due to various injuries, including sprains affecting both ankles.

In those 46 games, Clowney averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per contest, shooting just 35.8% from the floor, including 33.3% on three-pointers. Although he’s a 6’10” forward/center, the 21-year-old attempted 261 shots from beyond the arc last season, compared to 111 two-point tries.

[RELATED: Decisions On 2026/27 Rookie Scale Team Options]

The Nets also would have had decisions to make on 2026/27 rookie scale team options for Kobe Bufkin and Dariq Whitehead, but they waived both players, automatically declining those options in the process.

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals once the regular season begins, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters.

[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Roster Counts]

Of those 540 potential roster spots, 522 are currently occupied to open the 2025/26 season, leaving 18 open roster spots around the NBA across 17 teams. Here’s the full breakdown of those 18 openings around the league:

One open standard roster spot and one open two-way slot

  • Cleveland Cavaliers

The only team operating above the second tax apron, the Cavaliers are likely in no hurry to fill the 15th spot on their standard roster, which would cost them exponentially more in tax penalties beyond the player’s salary. Cleveland also has the ability to make changes involving its 14th roster spot at some point if it wants to — Thomas Bryant minimum-salary contract is fully non-guaranteed, so he’d only be owed a prorated portion of his salary if he’s waived at some point on or before January 7.

While two-way players don’t count against the salary cap, they still earn modest salaries (half the rookie minimum), so it’s possible the Cavs will look to save a little money on the league’s priciest roster by holding their third two-way slot open for the time being. A team that has an open standard roster spot is also limited to 90 overall active games for its two-way players instead of 50 apiece, so the Cavs probably aren’t looking to use up many of those games early in the season if they can help it.

One open standard roster spot

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Denver Nuggets
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Houston Rockets
  • Los Angeles Clippers
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Miami Heat
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New York Knicks
  • Orlando Magic
  • Philadelphia 76ers
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Toronto Raptors

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Suns, and Raptors are all over the tax line, while the Heat don’t have much breathing room below it.

Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but won’t do so yet. Several of them – Golden State, Houston, both L.A. teams, New York, and Orlando – actually can’t do so yet, since they’re operating so close to their respective hard caps.

The Hawks have room under the tax line for a 15th man, but of all the teams in this group, the Pistons could be the best bet to fill their open roster spot sooner rather than later. They’re well more than $20MM below the tax line, so there are no concerns related to finances or spending flexibility. Still, given that Jaden Ivey is the only player on the roster dealing with more than a day-to-day injury right now, there’s no urgency to bring in a 15th man immediately.

One open two-way slot

  • Brooklyn Nets

In the past, a team without a G League affiliate of its own might be slow to fill its two-way contract slots, but all 30 NBA clubs now have affiliates in the NBAGL, so outside of thriftiness, there’s no real excuse not to carry a full complement of two-way players once the G League season begins in the coming weeks.

That’s especially true for the Nets, whose team salary is the lowest in the league entering the season. With so many rookies on the team’s standard roster, a third two-way player might not see any action at the NBA level anytime soon, but it would still make sense for Brooklyn to bring in another young prospect to develop in the G League.

Nets Notes: Coley, Higgins, Wolf, Rookie Point Guards

The Nets have hired Josh Coley and Cory Higgins as scouts, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (Twitter link).

Coley was recently the athletic director and head coach of Christ School in Asheville, North Carolina. Higgins played for the Charlotte Bobcats for two seasons and also had stints with EuroLeague powerhouses CSKA Moscow and Barcelona.

We have more on the Nets:

  • Danny Wolf‘s cerebral approach to the game can both be an asset and a weakness. The New York Daily News’ C.J. Holmes interviewed Michigan head coach Dusty May and Wolf’s mother, among others, regarding Wolf’s mental approach. Wolf, one of a handful of Brooklyn first-round picks, transferred from Yale to play for the Wolverines last season. “Because of his intelligence, he was able to fix things that needed to be fixed, and just his growth throughout the year, when you look at where he was in November to where he was in March, it was a tribute to his work,” May said.
  • In a separate story, Holmes notes that the head coach Jordi Fernandez and his staff are taking on a bold experiment, trying to develop five rookies at once. That will be the litmus test for the coaches.
  • Among that group, which first-year player will be the primary point guard and who will run the second unit? Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf are the candidates, but Fernandez has yet to tip his hand, Zach Braziller of the New York Post notes. The latter two split the starting duties in the team’s four preseason games while Demin worked his way back from a plantar fascia tear. “I’m very happy with all three,” Fernández said. “All three have played in preseason, all three have done good things, and all three have things to work on. If they can take advantage of their minutes, they’re going to survive with their roles, whether they are starting or at backup. If somebody cannot sustain production or what we’re asking [from them], then [it will create an] opportunity for another one, and that’s why I want that healthy competition to work on our team, where they’re all pushing each other and they all have minutes and experience and they can grow.”

Haywood Highsmith To Be Reevaluated In Eight Weeks

Nets forward Haywood Highsmith recently experienced a setback in his attempted return from a torn meniscus, the team announced (via Twitter). He will be reevaluated in eight weeks.

According to the Nets, Highsmith was evaluated after experiencing swelling in his right knee while recovering from an meniscectomy and it was determined that his rehab program would need to be modified and extended.

An eight-week recovery period would put Highsmith at risk of missing at least the first quarter of the Nets’ season, and likely more than that, as he will presumably not be immediately cleared to return to game action at the eight-week mark.

Highsmith averaged a career-high 6.5 points and 0.9 steals per game last season while shooting 38.2% from deep. After going undrafted in 2018, he established himself as a valuable role player for the Heat, capable of defending multiple positions and making outside shots. He was traded to the Nets in August along with a second-round pick in a salary-cutting move for Miami.

Highsmith was able to hang onto his roster spot as the Nets made their cuts ahead of the regular season, including waiving Kobe Bufkin.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports that Highsmith made himself valuable to the organization with his leadership and locker room presence on such a young team (Twitter link). If he makes a full recovery before February’s deadline, Highsmith could have some value on the trade market on his expiring $5.6MM contract.