15 Players the Brooklyn Nets gave up on way too soon
By Tyler Watts
The Brooklyn Nets are still searching for their first NBA championship. They won two in the ABA in the mid-1970s, and the franchise felt close in recent years before the disaster unfolded. The Nets had three of the best players in the world and felt close to breaking out of the Knicks’ shadow, only for it all to come crashing down in a whirlwind of drama.
With all three gone, Brooklyn is facing another rebuild. They acquired some key pieces in the trades and restocked their draft cupboard, but the Nets will again be searching for a superstar to lead their roster. Finding one is never easy, and making it work from there is no picnic either.
The Brooklyn Nets have made plenty of mistakes during their 56 seasons as a franchise, including giving up on multiple players before they should have. Here is a look at their 15 biggest blunders in franchise history.
Players Brooklyn Nets gave up on way too soon: 15. Kyle Korver
The Nets technically drafted Korver with the 51st overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, but his rights were sold to the Philadelphia 76ers for $125,000. Selling a second-round pick is not that uncommon, but this one has a unique story. The Nets used the money to cover their summer league costs and to buy a copy machine. Korver being traded for a copy machine stuck, and was a joke throughout his playing career.
The 6’7 wing had a 17-year career in the NBA, and he became one of the best shooters in league history. Korver shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range for his career, which is currently the tenth-best mark in NBA history.
This is far from the Brooklyn Nets’ worst trade of all time. Fans would love to forget that one, but watching Korver become an All-Star and all-time great shooter certainly had to painful for the Nets and their fan base.