Summary
The 2024-25 season was Year One of the Brooklyn Nets rebuild — a deliberate tank year aimed at securing a top draft pick in the loaded 2025 class. After trading Mikal Bridges in the offseason and Dennis Schroder at the deadline, the Nets fielded one of the youngest, least talented rosters in the NBA. They finished with the 2nd-worst record in the league but fell to #8 in the lottery — a gut-punch outcome that still yielded Egor Demin, the franchise's centerpiece bet. The season's real purpose was answered: the Nets committed fully to the rebuild.
Key Insights
- The Bridges trade (June 2024) set the tone: this team is not trying to compete
- The Schroder trade (December 2024) removed the last veteran scorer and cemented the tank
- Finished with the 2nd-worst record but fell to #8 in the lottery — missed Flagg, Harper, Bailey
- Cameron Johnson was the lone veteran presence, serving as mentor and floor-spacer before being traded in the offseason
- Cam Thomas led the team in scoring but his inefficiency and lack of playmaking raised questions (answered in 2025-26: he was waived)
- The tank succeeded in one sense (bottom-3 record) and failed in another (lottery fell to #8)
Details
The Tank Strategy
The front office executed a textbook tank: trade veterans for assets at the deadline, play young guys heavy minutes, and lose games.
Key deadline moves:
- Dennis Schroder to Warriors for De'Anthony Melton (injured) + 3 second-round picks (2026 ATL, 2028 ATL, 2029 GSW)
- Dorian Finney-Smith + Shake Milton to Lakers for D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, + 3 second-round picks (2027 LAL, 2030 LAL, 2031 LAL)
- Bojan Bogdanovic buyout (from Bridges trade)
The Cam Thomas Question — Answered
The biggest roster question of 2024-25 was whether Cam Thomas was a building block. He led the team in scoring but his sub-league-average true shooting %, questionable shot selection, and lack of playmaking left the debate unresolved. The 2025-26 season provided the answer: Thomas signed a qualifying offer, averaged 15.6 PPG in diminished role, and was waived in February 2026. He wasn't the answer.
The Lottery Disappointment
Despite a bottom-3 record (14% chance at #1), the Nets fell to #8 in the 2025 draft lottery. Cooper Flagg went #1 to Dallas. This was devastating — but the sheer volume of picks (5 first-rounders) softened the blow. The Nets still drafted Egor Demin at #8, who may end up being the franchise player anyway.
Legacy
The 2024-25 season's importance isn't what happened on the court. It's what it enabled:
- 5 first-round picks in the 2025 NBA Draft
- The Cameron Johnson trade for Michael Porter Jr. + 2032 Denver first
- The foundation for everything that follows
Related
Open Questions
- Would the Nets' rebuild trajectory be different if they'd landed the #1 pick (Flagg)?
- Was one tank year enough, or did the lottery result force a second tank year (2025-26)?