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Well, that was tough. From disappointed to deflated to defeated to downright embarrassing, at least in terms of immediate fan reaction, the 2026 Draft Lottery is right up there with some of the worst days in recent Nets history … and there’s been some doozies. The effect remains to be seen, but whoosh, that was ug-ly.
As devastating as last year’s drop from No. 6 to No. 8, this year’s slide from No. 3 to No. 6 was worse, not just in terms of the number of slots, but in projected star power. No more speculation about a “franchise-changer” like A.J. Dybantsa, Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson or maybe Caleb Wilson embracing Adam Silver adorned with a Nets cap. Things could change by June 23 and beyond. The litany of “franchise-changers” taken after No. 4 in this year’s playoffs starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taken at No. 11 and continues on down the line to Jalen Brunson taken at 33rd. But of course, the odds are in favor of a top pick.
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More than that: fans thought they “deserved” a high pick because of what they have gone through over the last two-plus years of tanking, starting sometime after the 2024 trade deadline when the Nets decided it was time to go full-on tank. All those losses, all those fan arguments about losing to win, all of it seem to have been for naught. But the aerodynamics of ping pong balls are cruel and unforgiving. Deserved or not, it happened.
How close did they come? Heart-breakingly close, as Brett Siegel tweeted Monday. One ping pong ball away from No. 1…
Of course, the Nets may not even pick at No. 6 (or No. 33 or 43 in the second round.) Sean Marks, predictably considering how soon he was asked following the Lottery, was non-committal about a lot of things, but his key takeaway is that “rash decisions” should be avoided … not that that’s his style. It isn’t. In fact, Marks suggested in post-Lottery comments that whatever the Nets do will be driven not just by lottery results, but by the team’s overall youth and their development. Think bigger, he seemed to say! Longer, too?
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“Hard to tell,” Marks told reporters after the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/netsdaily-off-season-report-no-202709635.html
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Publish date : 2026-05-11 20:27:00
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