The Brooklyn Nets have their sights set on the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. After making an NBA-record five-round selection last June, the team is committed to building through the draft for the first time in the Brooklyn era.
Despite this, according to NBA insider Jake Fisher, rival teams continue to point to Brooklyn as a potential trade suitor for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer.
Fisher wrote, "I've heard rival teams thinking loudly about the potential emergence of Brooklyn as a credible destination given the Nets have a large amount of draft capital to package with Michael Porter Jr. ... or with a trade construction that puts MPJ to play alongside Antetokounmpo."
While the Nets are in the early stages of a rebuild, Antetokounmpo has long been viewed as their top trade target.
Rival teams think the Nets could enter the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade sweepstakes
Brooklyn has established itself as one of the NBA's worst teams in pursuit of the top pick in a crowded 2026 draft. However, the team will not be tanking next season, as it has to pay a 2027 first-round pick swap to the Houston Rockets. The Nets have the ammo to put together one of the most competitive packages for Antetokounmpo.
They have an NBA-best 13 first-round picks over the next seven years. Michael Porter Jr. or Nic Claxton could serve as the main salary filler in an Antetokounmpo deal. Brooklyn could also include young prospects like Nolan Traore, De'Ron Sharp, Noah Clowney, Drake Powell and Danny Wolf.
The main question surrounding the Nets' potential pursuit of Antetokounmpo is whether they can make a deal with enough assets to build a team around the two-time MVP. With several teams pursuing the Bucks superstar at the deadline and several more teams likely to enter the equation in the offseason, the price won't be low.
