Brooklyn Nets: Five Biggest Decisions in Franchise History

4. Drazen Petrovic

At number 2 is another trade. But in this case, the trade was actually brilliant. In the early 90s, the Nets began to assemble a team that given time, would have become deadly. They drafted Derrick Coleman number one overall in the 1990 NBA draft and Kenny Anderson second overall in the 1991 NBA draft. On January 23, 1991, the Nets made a big trade for Drazen Petrovic. Petrovic previously played for the Portland Trail Blazers, but due to a log jam at the guard spots, he did not see much playing time.

From the moment he put on a Nets jersey, there was improvement in his numbers. He quickly became the Nets best player and would start during the 1991-92 season alongside Anderson. The trio of Anderson, Coleman, and Petrovic was supposed to be the next big thing for the Nets.

Unfortunately, Petrovic’s career came to an end too soon when he died in an automobile accident in the summer of 1993. It is now just a mystery of how well the trio would have performed in the NBA, were they given more time together.

Next: No. 3: Moving to Brooklyn