The Nets Picked Sixth. The Knicks Traded Out Entirely.

SWN Analysis · September 13, 2026

The 2026 draft was held at Barclays Center, and the two New York teams approached it from opposite ends of the league. The Nets picked sixth. The Knicks, coming off a championship, traded out of the first round entirely.

Mikel Brown Jr., G — Nets, No. 6 overall, Louisville

The player. Brooklyn took Brown sixth, immediately after the consensus top four — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson — and Keaton Wagler at five.

That’s a meaningful spot in a class league executives described as historically strong at the top. Brown is the highest pick Brooklyn has made in years and arrives on a roster with minutes available and no championship timeline to protect.

Playing time projection. Starter or heavy rotation from opening night. On a team in Brooklyn’s position, a No. 6 pick plays.

Joshua Jefferson, F — Nets, No. 28, Iowa State

Acquired from Minnesota on draft night. Jefferson is the kind of late-first forward whose rookie season is decided by defense — Iowa State’s program has a long record of producing players who arrive knowing where to be.

Playing time projection. Rotation depth, with a real path to minutes on a rebuilding roster.

Tyler Bilodeau, F — Nets, No. 43, UCLA

A second-round forward acquired via Houston. Camp battle, two-way candidate, and the sort of pick that occasionally becomes a rotation player two years later.

Playing time projection. Fringe.

The Knicks traded down, twice

New York held the 24th and 25th picks and kept neither. Cameron Carr (Baylor) went to the Lakers at 24. Sergio de Larrea (Spain) was reportedly routed to Dallas at 25.

What the Knicks kept from night two: Jack Kayil, G — No. 39, Germany, acquired from Houston, and Tyler Nickel, F — No. 47, Vanderbilt, acquired from Phoenix. Bruce Thornton (No. 31, Ohio State) went to Houston and Nick Martinelli (No. 55, Northwestern) was reportedly routed to the Clippers.

The read. This is what a defending champion’s draft looks like. New York returns every major contributor except center Mitchell Robinson, and ESPN’s summer forecast has the Knicks at 53-29 atop the East. Rookies don’t get minutes on that roster, so the front office converted picks into flexibility instead.

Playing time projection for Kayil and Nickel. Minimal. Development years.

Outside New York

AJ Dybantsa, F — Washington Wizards (No. 1). The face of the class. He tied the No. 1-pick record with 27 points in his Summer League debut, creating most of them off the dribble, and projects as a 20-point scorer immediately. Trae Young and Anthony Davis give him support most top picks never get.

Chris Cenac Jr., F — Boston Celtics (No. 27). An Atlantic Division matter. Cenac fell to 27 out of Houston, and Boston also took St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell at 40. Neither is a franchise piece, but both are players the Knicks and Nets will see four times a year.

Labaron Philon Jr., G — Philadelphia 76ers (No. 22). The other Atlantic addition worth knowing. Philadelphia took him at 22 out of Alabama for guard depth on a roster that ESPN projects at 50-32 — a genuine threat in the conference.

The real question

Brooklyn has the interesting season. A No. 6 pick, a second first-rounder and available minutes is the setup for finding out what you have.

New York’s rookie story is that there isn’t one, which is exactly what a title defense is supposed to look like.

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