Six years ago, the Nets had ideas of a grandiose future. They would move to Brooklyn, attract the best free agents and spend whatever it took to win a championship. New owner Mikhail Prokhorov guaranteed a championship within five years and the fans ate it up. The future was bright back then; the future is bleak right now.
After a series of shortsighted moves by then general manager Billy King, the Nets now find themselves crippled in the present and handcuffed for the future. With almost no assets left to speak of and a roster devoid of NBA talent, the Brooklyn Nets find themselves in the same spot the New Jersey Nets found themselves five years ago.
Within those five years, Brooklyn traded the rights to just about every draft pick they held until 2020, and in return they received former stars who were on the downswing and couldn’t deliver more than one playoff series win in those five seasons.
Deron Williams was the savior-to-be, as was Joe Johnson, as were Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Together and with the arrival of head coach Jason Kidd, the Nets were supposed to be dominant. Instead, they bowed out and couldn’t deliver. Then, one by one, each piece of the puzzle migrated elsewhere. In 2016, the Nets now find themselves without a general manager, without a head coach, and with a roster of has-beens and never-will-be’s. So what are their realistic options going forward?
First off, the Nets need draft picks again. The team doesn’t control its own first round pick until 2019, but have managed to break into the first round via trade. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was a result of a draft-day trade, and he is one of the few assets the Nets have left. The Nets aren’t going anywhere this year. Their best bet is to sell some of the few desirable pieces left, like Johnson or Brook Lopez and see what they can net before the trade deadline. That way, the team can go into the offseason with cap space (and an astronomically rising salary cap) and a brighter outlook for the next few years.
The Nets will not be contenders next year, despite what Prokhorov says. They can, however, accelerate their rebuild if they are prudent and operate with eyes towards the future. It’s going to be a difficult sell to an already aloof fan base, but no superstar is walking through that door next year unless Brooklyn has something to offer other than the “limelight” of the big city life. The worst-case scenario is a Travis Outlaw repeat, which surprisingly isn’t the worst move of Billy King’s tenure in New Jersey/Brooklyn.
A long road forward awaits the Nets. The team still has some pieces for which they can get something in return, but it has to be willing to be a seller at the trade deadline. Lopez is their biggest get, and even though Brooklyn just re-signed him to a big deal this offseason, he’s most likely more valuable off the team than on it.
Thaddeus Young should be another candidate, and even Jarrett Jack could fetch a few offers for his contract even though he is out for the year. Brooklyn also needs a coach. Lionel Hollins was a great coach for the team last year, as he could connect with the veterans and inspire the team to be tough. This year’s team of youngsters didn’t respond as well, and that is part of why he got the boot.
If the Nets don’t do some damage control, the future will be as bleak as the present is in Brooklyn. Deron Williams didn’t do the team any favors, nor has the team’s play this season. Now a once-hyped team is an afterthought once again. There’s no telling what the future holds for Brooklyn, but one thing is true: whatever the team does next will speak volumes on where it is, where it wants to be, and what path the team truly is on.