Nets 2024-25 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds and Record Predictions

It's a new era in Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Nets had qualified for the playoffs in five consecutive seasons heading into the 2023-24 season, but that streak did not continue as the team went 32-50 and finished 11th in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets fired head coach Jacque Vaughn during the NBA All-Star break and opted not to retain interim head coach Kevin Ollie at the end of the season.

Instead, Jordi Fernández was hired to take over as the new head coach, and a core of assistants headlined by Juwan Howard will try to guide Brooklyn as it begins its next chapter.

That chapter will not include Mikal Bridges, who was dealt to the New York Knicks during the offseason.

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2024-25 Nets Schedule Details

Season Opener: at Atlanta Hawks Wed, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET

Championship Odds: +100000 (bet $100 to win $100,000), per FanDuel

Full Schedule: The full schedule is available on NBA.com.

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Top Matchups

New York Knicks

It's always contentious when the Knicks play the Nets. However, this year will be a little different.

The Bridges trade set the Knicks up to be a true contender, while the Nets will now presumably sink further toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference as they embark on a rebuild. Still, every matchup will provide a chance for the Nets to play spoiler and potentially improve the draft pick it received in the trade.

Brooklyn has New York's first-round picks in 2025, 2027 and 2029, in addition to a pick swap in 2028. In all of those seasons, beating the Knicks as often as possible will be a goal for Brooklyn as it hopes to use those selections to sculpt a strong core.

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Boston Celtics

It's well-documented how vital a role the Nets played in the formation of the current Boston Celtics core.

The selections used to pick Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum only came to Boston as a result of the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce trade in 2013. These pieces, alongside the others the team acquired in recent seasons, led the Celtics to their 18th NBA Championship.

The Nets have never won an NBA Championship and have only reached the round twice. Boston is much closer to a 19th than the Nets are to their first, but earning some regular season success and being an obstacle in the Celtics' chase for a repeat could be a nice goal for Brooklyn.

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Season Forecast

If Ben Simmons is healthy and returns to his peak form, Brooklyn will have something to look forward to.

It likely won't be enough to force the Nets into the postseason, but it will probably keep the team out of the conference cellar. It also could give the Nets an interesting trade chip during the season, and possibly get the franchise some more assets for its ambitious rebuild.

Fans should hope for lottery luck and a player like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey suiting up for the franchise in 2025-26. Additionally, the Nets will gain $40 million in cap space when Simmons' contract expires, so the 2025 offseason will be the time for Nets fans to really heighten expectations.

Record Prediction: 25-57