Nets Notebook: Brooklyn retains young pieces, sets Summer League roster

C.J. Holmes, New York Daily NewsMon, Jun 29, 2026·4 min read

Day’Ron Sharpe is set to return to Brooklyn, and his next deal comes at an important time for the Nets’ frontcourt.

Sharpe intends to sign a new two-year, $20 million contract with the Nets, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Brooklyn declined Sharpe’s team option before free agency to create a path toward a new deal, the same approach it used with Josh Minott.

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Sharpe averaged 8.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 62 games for Brooklyn last season while shooting 60.1% from the field. His return is especially meaningful because of Nic Claxton’s expected departure. The 23-year-old center gives Brooklyn another familiar frontcourt option as it sorts through the position once the Julius Randle deal is finalized.

Minott also intends to sign a new two-year, $9 million deal to return to the Nets, with a team option in the second season, according to ESPN. The Nets declined Minott’s team option to clear the way for a new contract.

Minott appeared in 49 games last season, including 16 with Brooklyn after being acquired during the season from the Boston Celtics. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds overall, and his production increased after arriving in Brooklyn.

The moves keep two young rotation pieces in Brooklyn as the franchise continues reshaping its roster around youth, cap flexibility and the reported three-team trade that would bring Randle from the Minnesota Timberwolves and send Claxton to the Chicago Bulls.

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The Nets also retained forward Chaney Johnson, who is signing his two-way qualifying offer and returning next season, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Johnson averaged 8.2 points on 54.3% shooting from the field with 4.6 rebounds in 20.5 minutes across 17 games for Brooklyn last season.

Johnson is also listed on Brooklyn’s Summer League roster, giving him another chance to build on his late-season opportunity.

The new deals help stabilize the Nets’ cap sheet without closing off the rest of their offseason.

After the Sharpe and Minott agreements, Brooklyn projects to have 14 players rostered, $142.3 million in total salaries and $35.69 million in cap space, according to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron. The Nets also still project to have the $9.4 million room mid-level exception available and aren’t hard-capped.

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Minott doesn’t have enough Non-Bird rights for a two-year, $9 million contract, meaning his deal must go into either cap space or the room mid-level exception, according to Gozlan. Third Apron also noted that trading Claxton for Randle as an over-the-cap team would hard-cap Brooklyn.

The Nets still project with spending power after retaining Sharpe and Minott. Brooklyn also has 13 first-round picks, nine of them tradable, and 20 second-round picks.

That flexibility remains part of Brooklyn’s offseason plan. The Nets have added Randle while, for now, keeping several young players on the roster. Sharpe, Minott and Johnson now remain part of that group, though the franchise still has work ahead.

Brooklyn’s next on-court look comes in Summer League, though not every young Net will be available right away.

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The Nets announced their rosters for the California Classic in Sacramento and the 2026 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Assistant coach Dutch Gaitley will lead Brooklyn’s Summer League staff.

The roster includes four returning sophomores from the 2025 draft class: Egor Dëmin, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf. It also includes Johnson, 2026 No. 6 pick Mikel Brown Jr. and second-round pick Tyler Bilodeau.

Nolan Traoré won’t play in Summer League. Speaking to reporters in Brooklyn on Monday, general manager Sean Marks said Traoré recently had a scope on his right knee and is expected to make a full return for training camp and early September.

Traoré averaged 8.9 points, 3.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 56 games as a rookie last season, including 31 starts.

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Joshua Jefferson, whose draft rights are being acquired from Minnesota as part of the Randle trade, is also not listed. Jefferson can’t play for the Nets’ Summer League team until the Randle trade is finalized, so he’ll miss the Sacramento portion. He’s expected to be available in Las Vegas.

Brown and Bilodeau are expected to be available for both Summer League stops.

The Nets are making their first California Classic appearance from July 4-6 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, opening against the Sacramento Kings on July 4 at 5 p.m. ET. Brooklyn then faces the Milwaukee Bucks on July 5 at 3 p.m. ET and the Golden State Warriors on July 6 at 8 p.m. ET. All three games will air on the Gotham Sports App.

Brooklyn is then making its 12th Summer League appearance in Las Vegas. The Nets open against the Knicks on July 10 at 6 p.m. ET at Thomas & Mack Center, followed by games against the Atlanta Hawks on July 11, Sacramento Kings on July 14 and Houston Rockets on July 16. A fifth game is still to be determined.