By Independent Rob | Sports Savvy Magazine
The Nets’ Messy Start
The Brooklyn Nets entered the league in 1976, and things went south fast. Unlike the other ABA teams that merged into the NBA, the Nets had to pay an “invasion fee” of $4.8 million to the New York Knicks for entering their territory. The problem? They didn’t have the cash.
So they sold their best player — Dr. J — to afford the fee.
Think about that: the team sold one of the greatest players of all time to join the league. And instead of moving to a city without an NBA team, they decided to stay in New York — willingly becoming the Knicks’ little brother. That was Mistake #1, and it set the tone for decades of poor decisions.
From Finals Runs to Financial Failures
The early 2000s were the Nets’ brightest stretch since joining the NBA.
Led by Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, and Kerry Kittles, the Nets made back-to-back Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. For once, it looked like the franchise had turned a corner.
Then came the crash.
Ownership didn’t want to spend the money to keep the team together. Instead of adding the missing pieces, they let players like Kenyon Martin walk because they didn’t want to pay him.
The “Win-Now” Trade That Set the Franchise Back Years
As if that wasn’t enough, the Nets doubled down on bad decisions in 2013 when new ownership tried to buy instant credibility. They traded nearly every future draft pick they had to the Boston Celtics for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry — aging veterans who were well past their primes.
The deal gutted the franchise’s future. The Celtics used those picks to draft stars like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brooklyn didn’t fully recover from that mistake until almost a decade later.
The Kenny Atkinson Era: The One Time They Got It Right
Before the superstars arrived, the Brooklyn Nets were quietly doing something rare — they were actually building the right way. Under head coach Kenny Atkinson, the team developed young, hungry talent and created a gritty, competitive culture. Then, almost overnight, the front office abandoned the project.
The KD & Kyrie Era: Hype Over Hardware
When Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signed in 2019, it was supposed to mark the start of a new era — Brooklyn’s shot at real championship glory.
Instead, it became a lesson in how fast things can fall apart.
Injuries, egos, and endless drama defined the era. They added James Harden for a brief moment of hope, but the “Big Three” never played enough games together to make a real run.
By 2023, the dream was dead — all three stars were gone, and the Nets were left with another broken roster and no clear direction. No rings. No banners. No stability.
Why Should Fans Believe in This “Rebuild”?
So when Joe Tsai and the front office talk about “rebuilding,” fans have every right to be skeptical.
What evidence do we have that this organization can build a true contender? From Dr. J to Jason Kidd, from the Pierce/Garnett disaster to the KD and Kyrie meltdown — every promising chapter has ended the same way.