15 Players the Brooklyn Nets gave up on way too soon
By Tyler Watts
10. Calvin Natt
Natt was the eighth overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Nets. The 6’6 forward had just finished up a dominant four-year run at Louisiana-Monroe, and expectations were high as he entered the NBA.
Natt last just eight months in New Jersey before the Nets swapped him for Maurice Lucas and two first-round picks. The Enforcer was already a four-time All-Star and one of the best power forwards in the league. Picking up him and two first-round picks was a no-brainer move for a team that was not in contention.
Natt averaged 19.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals in 38.6 minutes per game over his 53 contests with the Nets during his rookie season. He continued to produce monster numbers in Portland before being traded to the Nuggets in 1984 where he became an All-Star.
The 6’6 forward’s career was cut short by injuries as he played just 65 NBA games after his 30th birthday, but the Nets certainly gave up on the talented forward too soon. The Blazers made them an impossible-to-refuse offer, and it helped the franchise make the playoffs five straight years from 1982 to 1986, but it was still painful for fans to watch Calvin Natt going off in Portland and Denver.