The Brooklyn Nets now know their path in the 2026 Emirates NBA Cup. The NBA officially announced the group-stage draw for this season's in-season tournament on Tuesday, placing Brooklyn in East Group A alongside the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, and Milwaukee Bucks.
What happened?
The groups were determined by each team's finish in the 2025-26 regular season, with every conference divided into five tiers before teams were randomly drawn into three groups of five. Brooklyn entered the draw from the conference's fifth tier after finishing 13th in the East.
The Nets' last result was a 136-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors on 2026-04-12. Their recent form has been poor, with 0 wins, 0 draws, and 5 losses in their last 5 games.
Why it matters for Brooklyn Nets
For the Nets, the group presents a challenging mix of young, ascending teams and familiar Eastern Conference opponents. Detroit enters after finishing with the East's best regular-season record, while Orlando continues to build around one of the conference's talented young cores. Toronto is coming off a strong 2025-26 campaign that earned the Raptors the fifth seed in the conference.
What comes next?
Group play begins on Friday, Oct. 30, with games scheduled primarily on Fridays through Nov. 27, along with additional NBA Cup nights on Nov. 24 and Nov. 25. Each team will play the other four members of its group once, with the winner of each group and one wild-card team from each conference advancing to the single-elimination knockout stage.
The quarterfinals are set for Dec. 4-5, followed by the semifinals on Dec. 8 or 9. This year's championship game will be played on Dec. 11 at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
| Team | Recent Record |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nets | 0W-0D-5L |
| Toronto Raptors | - |
| Detroit Pistons | - |
| Orlando Magic | - |
| Milwaukee Bucks | - |
The Nets have yet to advance to the NBA Cup knockout round since the tournament debuted in 2023. They'll look to change that this fall as they begin another season under head coach Jordi Fernández and continue building around one of the NBA's youngest rosters.
As of 2026-07-05, the Nets are preparing for the upcoming season, looking to improve their performance and make a deep run in the NBA Cup. Their fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the tournament, hoping to see their team succeed and make a name for themselves in the competitive Eastern Conference.
