After drafting three guards with playmaking strengths in the 2025 NBA Draft, it may seem crazy to say that the Brooklyn Nets’ biggest roster need is a lead guard.
The truth is that they actually have a fairly competent front court with more room to grow together. Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowne and Nic Claxton were the most played three-man unit during this season, posting a net rating of -6.6. Brooklyn had a team net rating of -10.
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Regarding how the young backcourt fared, the results were unsurprisingly inconsistent. Nolan Traor, Egor Demin and Ben Saraf all averaged over three assists, but struggled with taking care of the ball.
The Nets don’t own their 2027 first-round pick, so there is little incentive to have another season at the bottom of the standings. A lead ball handler who can set up the offense and be trusted in clutch scenarios will play a big factor in how improved they can look.
This isn’t to say any of Brooklyn’s stable of young guards are incapable of being the answer to this problem if one can take a leap next season. It would also be a mistake to bring in a more proven point guard and stall their development. There has to be a balance in the way it handles this search.
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The draft, free agency and potential trades are in play. The 2026 NBA Draft is on June 23 and will be the first opportunity to find a lead guard.
The Nets can fall anywhere between the first and seventh overall pick. The point guards being mocked around that range are Darius Acuff Jr., Kingston Flemings and Labaron Philon Jr.
If Brooklyn lands in the top three, the pick is going to be one of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer. Those players could all be generational, and with a pick that high, teams tend to draft based on talent rather than need.
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Philon Jr. could make the most sense out of the guard pool with his two-way capabilities. None of the Nets’ rookie guards this season were positive defenders, and the Alabama product is defensive-minded.
The 2026 free agent class isn’t the deepest in terms of unrestricted options, but Brooklyn could still go after the limited options with its projected $31 million in cap space. Collin Sexton, Coby White and Collin Gillespie are all set to hit the open market and averaged at least three assists per game. The Nets could grab one of these options and still start Demin or Traor — just having a more experienced ball handler for critical situations.
Trade season is not something that the Nets are afraid to dive into, adding Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann and Haywood Highsmith via offseason trades in 2025. There are several high-level trade targets that they could throw a bid at with their amount of young players and draft capital.
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The top nine teams in the league for assist/turnover ratio are playoff or play-in teams this season. Brooklyn’s front office and coaching staff clearly believe in its young guards, but more proven talent in the room could take the team to another level.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/nets/onsi as The Most Glaring Roster Hole the Nets Must Fill This Offseason.