Mixed Signals from Nets Leadership on Tanking Strategy

Mixed Signals from Nets Leadership on Tanking Strategy

For any franchise to thrive, unity and a clearly defined direction from ownership to the locker room are essential.

So it’s hardly shocking that a team long plagued by instability is once again struggling to find cohesion.

In a recent interview with Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Nets owner Joe Tsai offered a few pointed remarks about the team’s outlook for the upcoming season.

After a 2024–25 campaign where Brooklyn avoided a full-on tank yet still landed the No. 8 pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, the organizational intent seems more transparent now.

Well—clear to everyone except head coach Jordi Fernandez.

Fernandez led the Nets to a surprisingly competitive stretch last season before injuries derailed their momentum.

Now, with Brooklyn projected to sit near the bottom of the standings, a compelling tension is emerging: Fernandez’s commitment to building a resilient, hard-playing culture versus a front office eager to secure a franchise-altering draft pick.

Tsai’s candid remarks about eyeing the lottery aren’t unusual in today’s NBA, but they may still draw the league’s ire given Commissioner Adam Silver’s efforts to curb tanking.

Whether Fernandez is shielding his boss or simply embracing the challenge of elevating a talent-thin, playoff-inexperienced roster is unclear. What is clear: the coach doesn’t appear wired to lose on purpose.

Even many fans are bracing for a painful season in hopes of a brighter future. But Tsai and GM Sean Marks may have underestimated one thing—Fernandez’s refusal to roll over.

Tanking might be the plan, but executing it with a defiant head coach at the helm? That’s another story entirely.