The Brooklyn Nets will have to cut down their roster ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season. Which players are competing for roster spots in training camp?
The Brooklyn Nets have made plenty of moves this offseason in anticipation of having a better 2025-26 NBA season than they did during the 2024-25 campaign. Brooklyn has doubled down on its rebuild by selecting five players in the 2025 NBA Draft along with trading for veterans like forward Michael Porter Jr., but training camp is the next item on the agenda.
Due to the Nets playing part of its preseason in China, Brooklyn's preseason preparations will begin sooner than most teams, meaning that they will have to make certain decisions sooner than usual. One of those decisions will be eventually trimming the roster down to 18 spots (15 standard contracts, 3 Two-Way contracts) following the conclusion of training camp.
As of this writing, the Nets are reportedly at 21 players on the roster, including players like Cam Thomas (who remains un-signed), Ziaire Williams, Day'Ron Sharpe, Ricky Council IV, and Fanbo Zeng. With that being said, Brooklyn still has one Two-Way spot open, but given the fact that they will have to cut three players prior to the beginning of the regular season, here are some of the players on the roster bubble:
Tyrese Martin
Martin, 26, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 8.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 40.6% from the field and 35.1% from three-point land during his first season in the NBA with actual playing time. While Martin played better than most had expected from him, he is under contract for just $2.1 million, meaning that Brooklyn wouldn't lose much in terms of finances by cutting him if needed.
Drew Timme
Timme, 24, is coming off an excellent summer league in which he dropped 25.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 55.4% from the floor and 64.7% from the free-throw line. The issue for Timme isn't talent, but whether Brooklyn wants to carry a third center to play behind starter Nic Claxton and Sharpe as the backup. If Timme is in enough demand, he could be a trade target.
Jalen Wilson
Wilson, 24, is in a similar boat to Timme and Martin in that his playing ability isn't really the issue, but more if head coach Jordi Fernandez and general manager Sean Marks are willing to prioritize the former Kansas Jayhawk over some of the younger players on the roster. Wilson averaged 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game last season, but his leash in training camp and preseason could be short.
Ricky Council IV
Council is most likely being brought to Brooklyn as a training camp invite and with players like that, it is an uphill battle towards making the team, as players like Martin can attest to from last season. Council, 24, was waived by the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this offseason one year after signing a multi-year deal and that was after averaging 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 38.2% from the field and 25.8% from deep.
Fanbo Zeng
Zeng, 22, is most likely going to be another player invited to Nets training camp with the idea of competing for a roster spot throughout camp and the preseason after spending last season playing overseas. Zeng is coming off his best season playing in China so he could be set to realize his potential after previously spending time in the G League and being invited to the NBPA Top 100 Camp earlier in his career.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Which Nets are vying for roster spots ahead of 2025-26 NBA season?
Category: Basketball
